


Kinder Club

by heekiesdyke



Series: Kinder Club Tales: An Unfortunate Collection [1]
Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Adultery, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Chuu has commitment issues, F/F, Haseul is the only smart one, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, Jinsoul is a teacher, Kim lip is a doctor, Love Triangles, Meddling Kids, Mental Health Issues, Minor Character Death, Slow Build, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Yves is a simp, everyone is gay and dumb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:34:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 63,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28376271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heekiesdyke/pseuds/heekiesdyke
Summary: Jinsoul is the most underqualified kindergarten (substitute but nonetheless) teacher in history, Yerim is a baby, Hyunjin is suspicious, Heejin might have a crush, Chaewon is an aspiring dictator, Hyejoo has violent tendencies, and Yeojin has a personal vendetta against classroom pets...Oh yeah, and Jungeun is straight (?).orJinsoul has yet again found herself at a low point in life. With her career failing and life falling apart she seeks help from friends, old and new, and an unlikely group of kids to put it back together.
Relationships: Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Kim Jiwoo | Chuu, Jo Haseul/Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul, Jo Haseul/Viian Wong | ViVi, Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip
Series: Kinder Club Tales: An Unfortunate Collection [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078253
Comments: 18
Kudos: 131





	1. I'm in the Ghetto Ratatata

There are a lot of ways you could describe her, the miraculous Jung Jinsoul. She's talented, beautiful, brilliant in every way, but there is no way in hell anyone could look her straight in the eye and say she was fit to be a teacher and she knew that for sure. At thirty-two years old she still had a roommate, her diet consisted of frosted flakes and instant ramen. She'd cry in the shower for hours knowing the running water masked her tears, and her role model at the time was none other than herself. As much as she _knew_ she was great it was quite clear she could barely take care of herself -- let alone twenty-four children at a time.

"Hello? Soul?? JINSOUL!!"

"Huh- sorry I was trying to remember what I ate for breakfast." Jinsoul shook herself out of her daze. She was pulled out of her thoughts by the older woman's voice, remembering she was indeed discussing an important matter with her way more put together adult and long time best friend, Ha Sooyoung. Not to say she didn't have her inner turmoils but that's a conversation for another time, of course.

"So, do you want the job or not?" She pushed Jinsoul's shoulder lightly, starting to get a bit impatient. "If not I can just call Jiwoo, but I still think you need to get yourself out there -- find yourself a _real_ job." Sooyoung urged. Ah yes, _Jiwoo_ , the _girlfriend_. Well, maybe not girlfriend. They had a habit of breaking up with one another so often you'd never know the status of their relationship. But frankly, she didn't like Jiwoo for her best friend, ever since Sooyoung met her it's 'Jiwoo _this_ , Jiwoo _that'_. Jiwoo was a teacher at some charter school near Sooyoung's apartment complex, and it was she who had suggested to Sooyoung that Jinsoul come and become a substitute there since there was no need for a teaching license. You see, supposedly one of the previous teachers had some sort of fetus festering in her uterus and had to call out of work for nine or more months, this, in turn, left a job open that Sooyoung expected Jinsoul to somehow fill.

"Well first off, I'll have you know my acting career is finally getting some edge. I was hired to do an infomercial just last week!! Secondly, I'll have to think about it."

" _Jinsoul_. _What_ is there to think about it?? The most you do every day is wallow in your misery while watching 'How I Met Your Mother' reruns, and I _know_ about the informercial it was literally for my aunt's paint shop..." Sooyoung grumbled, rolling her eyes in exasperation. Jinsoul pouted in response, letting out a small 'hmph' as she plopped her chin in her palm. After a brief moment of silence and contemplation -- Sooyoung becoming evermore impatient, rose her eyebrow and cleared her throat rather aggressively. 

With another huff and sulky pout, Jinsoul finally spoke. " _Fine_ , I'll do it."

**. . .**

three days had passed since that fateful day in Jinsoul's two-bedroom Seoul apartment. She found herself getting up at a decent hour for the first time in years. It was the first day of her demise, or you could also say 'teaching job' but Jinsoul felt demise was more fitting. She dressed in a black blazer, simple white dress shirt, and denim jeans, tied her hair up in a bun, and put on some light make-up. She looked at herself in the mirror satisfied with the way her black bangs fell over her eyebrows and how her round wire-rimmed glasses laid on the tip of her nose delicately. She knew she could never be fit to be a teacher of any sort but she had to at least look the part. If not for her, then for Sooyoung. Besides, it seemed like a good use of her theatre expertise.

With that Jinsoul made her way out of her shared apartment, reluctantly bidding the homey odd smells and friendly termites goodbye.

Thankfully, she made it there in one piece. She already knew the way there since Sooyoung would often drag her to have lunch with Jiwoo and her. The real issue was making sure her used Prius didn't suddenly break down in the middle of the road. The thing was a ticking time bomb though she really had no other option.

"Hi!"

"Holy shi-" Jinsoul jumped cursing under her breath, startled by the menacingly high-pitched voice she heard once she finally stepped out of the car. When she turned around Jinsoul was met with nothing but an empty parking lot with its only inhabitance being various cars she had assumed belonged to the school's staff.

"Hey! Down here I don't have all day!" The voice called once more. Jinsoul froze, not recalling ever hearing voices before. She felt a small hand poke the fabric of her jeans gently. She looked down slowly and lo and behold a small child with unnecessarily bright dyed blonde hair was staring back up at her. She was certainly concerned for the misplaced child, though she couldn't help but wonder if it was healthy -- no humane to bleach a child's hair.

"CHAEWON!! Chaewon, there you are!" An attractive short-haired brunette had run their way, catching her breath as she plucked the girl, Chaewon, from the ground and into her arms. She looked at Jinsoul and gave her a large smile, giving the raven-haired woman her free hand to shake. "You must be the new substitute Ms. Kim recommended." Jinsoul laughed airily nodding her head, cringing slightly at the unfamiliar formality in the unknown woman's tone. 

"Yeah, um- do kids often get to roam the parking lots?" She giggled again as she took her hand. She looked at Jinsoul quizically for a second, until the realization set in and she joined in the laughter.

"Oh- yeah, _no_ , Chaewon is my sister's kid I take her to school early with me sometimes since I teach here. She's just a little rambunctious and got excited when I told her that I was gonna show around someone new..." She let go of her hand and used both arms to hoist Chaewon up further from her waist. "I'm Ms. Jo by the way but you can call me Haseul." She smiled politely. Jinsoul smiled back, a blush beginning to ghost her cheeks. She looked in Chaewon's direction for a moment, realizing the girl was staring at her, looking her up and down. For some reason, the little girl's stare caused a chill to run down the woman's spine, her smile faltered as she gulped down her nerves trying to maintain her composure. As the adult in this situation, Jinsoul refused to let a three-foot, thirty-pound menace make her breakdown in front of her potential colleague. A very pretty potential colleague. 

"Anyway, so!" Haseul exclaimed, earning back Jinsoul's attention once again. "I'll show you around the school, class starts at nine, so we have more than enough time to get you situated before the chaos ensues." The substitute smiled nervously, still a little shaken up by the toddler tyrant in Haseul's arms. She followed her into the school thinking about her prior words hoping they meant nothing.

Once they entered the school a worn-out looking security-guard was there to greet them, his gaze shifting between Haseul and Jinsoul for a few moments. Jinsoul supposed Haseul must have sent some type of hypnotic signal to him since he wordlessly let them through after a minute long silent standoff. The hallways were dim, most of the light filtering in from windows. The school was primarily empty, a few teachers and staff members making themselves known as they chatted quietly outside of their respective classrooms.

"So, you know Jiwoo -- I mean Ms. Kim?" Jinsoul spoke attempting to fill the silence between the two women. Haseul giggled softly, the sound unknowingly making the corners of Jinsoul's lips upturn in the slightest.

"Obviously, silly."

"Huh? Oh no, I-I meant are you close?" Another giggle escaped the brunette, a contemplative look taking over her features as they continued to walk.

"I don't know, I guess you could say that," Haseul answers, Jinsoul hums in response. Before silence could get a chance to settle between them, Haseul spoke up, her toothy grin returning lazily. "How do you know Jiwoo?"

"No more Ms. Kim?"

"No, no more Ms. Kim." Jinsoul smiles at the brunette for a moment, returning her gaze to the stretched hallways in front of her soon after.

"She's my best friend's girlfriend." Haseul's mouth forms into an 'o' shape as she nods at Jinsoul's words.

"Sooyoung, right? She's...cool."

"You've never talked to her, have you?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Another hum from the taller-woman. The two continued to walk silently, Chaewon's soft snoring filling the hallways as the young girl slept in her aunt's arms peacefully. As they walked through a particularly dark hallway someone had made their presence known. In a span of ten seconds a streak of red hair had passed the duo and in another an arm had found its way around the duo's shoulders. A small squeak left both parties causing a groggy Chaewon to begrudgingly awake from her slumber, but soon the fear subsided once it became clear who the cause of it was. 

"Hi, guys!! Oh, sorry, did I scare you?" The redhead smiled apologetically.

" _Jesus_ Jiwoo, you should wear a bell," Haseul clutched her heart dramatically earning a laugh from the red-head. Jiwoo cooed at the pouting little blonde in Haseul's arms, extracting her from them carefully. Chaewon, without much protest, laid her head in the crook of the teacher's neck and drifted off to sleep once again. "Maybe I shouldn't wake her up so early. Do you think I should leave her at her grandpa's till school starts?"

"What? No! Chaewon loves mornings with you." Jiwoo whined Jinsoul suspected the teacher was talking about herself rather than the sleepy six-year-old. "Anyway, why are you guys around the fourth-grade hallway? The kindergarten hallway isn't anywhere near here."

"It isn't!? We've been walking for ten minutes, why did the principle make _me_ do this!" Jiwoo laughed again, Jinsoul only rose her eyebrow giving Jiwoo a questioning look.

"Haseul's a music teacher, her classroom is on the other side of the building she rarely visits this part." 

"Yes, but now I have to because we're understaffed and you have no idea what you're doing!" The taller of the three smiled teasingly at Haseul's distress, crossing her arms she shook her head as she began to talk,

"If it's really a problem I can do it myself-"

"NO!"

"But-"

"No, no, Haseul's right you don't want that..." Jiwoo shuddered, taking a shaky exhale as they continued to wander the halls. "You have no idea what's waiting for you in that class, it's chaos."

"It can't be that bad they're just a bunch of little kids, right?" No answer, the two teachers just stared at Jinsoul, horror written all over their features. "...right?"

**. . .**

"Not right, not right, oh my god." Jinsoul chanted closing her eyes tightly, taking cover under the hickory desk at the front of the class. The door was only a mere seven feet away if she wanted to break for it she could. 

"YEOJIN!! HEY!! What did I tell you about sticking your hands in the aquarium!! THE FISH DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR FRIENDS!!" Haseul yelled at the top of her lungs, seemingly calmer than Jinsoul had initially expected.

As soon as the kids started to file into the classroom everything seemed okay. They had come in and bowed to Haseul, then Jinsoul after introducing themselves, and for some odd reason, they bowed to Chaewon as well. Haseul was a music teacher for the sixth-grade students, and only worked during the last hours of the day, so she stuck around to help. The previous teacher had left lesson plans for the following months, with a lot more instructions than the raven-haired substitute would have liked. Since it was her first-day Haseul suggested they play some ice breaker games so Jinsoul could get to know the kids more. It was sane for a while, that is until it was playtime.

"Jinsoul can you help me get those boys off their knees, I'm afraid Hyejoo might hurt them..." Haseul spoke all to nonchalantly as she helped -- no, dragged Jinsoul out from under the desk. Jinsoul stood up mortified at the sight. A dark-haired girl named Hyejoo had a line of boys, backs facing her, hands on their heads, quivering in fear. She paced around them, patting her palm lightly with a foam bat. Her eyes oozed power and disgust. Jinsoul snapped out of her daze and walked slowly toward them reluctantly, her eyes not leaving Hyejoo, afraid if the child had noticed her presence the last thing she'd see was a toy bat. Haseul walked with her, just as carefully surprisingly looking just as scared as any of those boys.

"Okay boys, I'm going to get you out of here, but I need cooperation." She knelt to face them, hoping Hyejoo hadn't noticed her, while Haseul attempted to distract the girl.

"No, I can't let them go without punishment! They wronged me!!" Hyejoo spoke, her voice so soft it startled Jinsoul.

"Honey, they didn't wrong you. It's not their fault they lost the game maybe you should've picked better players to be on your team." The raven-haired woman had no intention of understanding what any of that even meant. She had a mission.

"Go! Leave! Use your tiny legs! Now!!" She ushered the boys out of the area. Jinsoul could've sworn she saw one of them crying and it sent a chill down her spine. To be fair this situation was one of the least concerning things happening around the classroom. Already her eyes were rimmed with tears, but she kept going, she was the heroine of this story! But also Sooyoung said she would buy her dinner if she put up with this for at least a week so right now the only thing going through Jinsoul's head was food. There was no way she was letting three-foot evil satin children with abusive tendencies get in the way of her and _food_. That and that sweet sweet paycheck.

"I swear this is a good day..." Haseul said under her breath after finishing with mini Hitler. Or maybe Chaewon was Mini Hitler she currently had half the class bowing to her while she sat on what Jinsoul thought was some girl named Minju or something. She would feel concerned if the young girl didn't seem to be enjoying her time. On second thought, Jinsoul _does_ vaguely remember her saying she'd do anything to serve her 'Lord Chaewon' during the little ice breaker game at the start of the day. Haseul seemed _very_ unfazed by the scene.

"Hey um, thanks for staying behind." Jinsoul smiled at her, setting her hand on the shorter woman's shoulder. She felt eternally grateful and for the first time since she was pushed out of my mother's womb, Jinsoul wondered if it was Haseul that should've been her role model all this time.

"No biggie, I'd feel terrible if I had to leave you with...this." She chuckled looking around the chaos that filled the classroom.

"Okay well now that that's out of the way, I think Yeojin threw Mr. Fin out the window." Jinsoul clapped her hands rubbing them amusedly, but before she could take another step in the direction of her desk, Haseul stopped her by the fabric of her sleeve. 

"Yeah, that one's on you kiddo."

"Wha -- YEOJIN DON'T EAT THE FISH FLAKES!!"

"I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THEY TASTED LIKE!!!" Jinsoul huffed, stomping towards the small child. Haseul watched as Jinsoul reprimanded Yeojin proudly, smiling happily when the irritant six-year-old sat at her desk with a pout, not moving another inch.

"Yeah...she's totally got this."


	2. Day thirty-two In the Chamber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinsoul's beef is unthawed after fourteen years...(?)

It's been a few days since Jinsoul started working as a substitute. Although the job was hard and stressful at times, the days seemed to go by quicker than usual. Jinsoul wouldn't admit it but the job was a lot more entertaining than watching sitcoms all day. Though Brooklyn Nine-Nine will forever be legendary, she can't say she preferred it over watching over her new students during the day. But she can't lie and say it wouldn't take any getting used to.

The second day was hell since there was no Haseul helping her out. Pro-tip, don't send six-year-olds to the corner unless you want havoc to ensue. Like, seriously, the entire kindergarten class _will_ revolt. She tried following one of the lesson plans but she only needed to read a paragraph to decide they'd just have playtime the entire day. Haseul _and_ Jiwoo yelled at Jinsoul for that one when she recounted her war stories in the teacher's lounge. Jinsoul personally thought it was a great idea, but apparently, it's necessary to learn in kindergarten too. Eventually, the raven-haired woman would learn that reading one of those compact books in the 'library' (the smallest library Jinsoul's ever seen) could quite frankly calm a hurricane. She could pick up one of those babies, and they're all at her feet waiting so patiently, even Yeojin, Jinsoul almost forgot she terrorized aquatic animals for fun.

But even though they made her life a living hell, she honestly thought she was beginning to warm up to them. Especially Chaewon and her band of misfits. Haseul sometimes let Jinsoul look after the blonde child in the mornings when she's busy printing sheet music or other music-teacher-like things. She's learned quite a lot about the small -- she still doesn't understand why she's blonde -- child. Her best friends include the notorious Yeojin and the indescribably frightening Hyejoo. Hyejoo is kind of a sweetheart when she isn't planning a murder, and Yeojin's chaos is endearing when you're not the adult in charge of her. Jinsoul also learned about Chaewon's mildly concerning fantasy about ruling the world. Haseul told her she'll grow out of it.

"Would somebody like to tell me, with a raised hand, what is three plus four?" Jiwoo made her notecards on what to do in specific situations, like when the class is practicing addition, how Jinsoul should keep the kids engaged and listening. She told her to just ask a bunch of questions and then tell them you'll give candy to whoever gets the most correct. Jinsoul wasn't actually keeping count though, so this would backfire on her. She just needed to pick a favorite later. "Chaeyoung, go!"

"Seven!" The short-haired child called gleefully, showing the substitute her signature dimpled smile.

"Correct! But who can tell me what three times four is for extra points?" Jinsoul gave them a bit of that teacher-like inflection so she could sell the offer, wiggling her eyebrows playfully. The actress in her was enjoying this too much.

"Oh! Is it seven??" A loud familiar voice interrupted the lesson. It could only belong to none other than Kim Jiwoo.

"Probably but you didn't raise your hand, Ms. Kim." Jinsoul giggled in relief. Usually, when Jiwoo came to visit she gets ahead of herself and teaches the entire class an impromptu lesson on whatever subject it is they're doing. Since she teaches the older kids, like Haseul, she tends to have time between classes when they go to a life skill class.

"Sorry to interrupt but I couldn't part long from my babies," She started. Jinsoul sat down at her desk getting ready to listen to whatever tangent Jiwoo was going to go on. Jiwoo looked her way and gave her a pitiful look, probably sensing she was incredibly tired. Jinsoul, of course, was still getting used to the new job. "I can't stay too long today I've got a meeting with my supervisor during my prep, but I did want to introduce you to a new friend." Jiwoo beamed excitedly.

"A new addition to my harem!?!" Chaewon yelled, standing up from her desk abruptly. Jinsoul heard Yeojin and Hyejoo's stifled laughter and couldn't help but smile a bit.

"I'll have to ask Ms. Jo how you know what that means...Anyway, you can come out now!" She called from beyond the doorway. Shortly after a woman and her child appeared in the classroom. A wave of familiarity washed over Jinsoul so suddenly it caused her to choke on the very air she was breathing. A few of the children gave her judging looks as she struggled to regain her composure. A few mocking giggles could be heard coming from Yeojin but Jinsoul made sure to quiet them with a warning glare.

"Hi!!" The young girl greeted Jinsoul, making her way to her desk. "My name's Yerim, are you okay?" Yerim smiled endearingly.

"Yes...more or less. Nice to meet you Yerim, what brings you here?" Jinsoul attempted to focus her attention on the small girl, trying to stop her gaze from wandering off toward the woman she knew was still standing idly near the doorway.

"My mom says you're my new teacher, so does Aunt Jiwoo and Aunt Jiwoo is very smart. I mean so is my mom, you see, she's a brain doctor...so she's gotta have a big brain I guess," Yerim began."Anyway, my dad says I should go to a private school, like my big sister Hyunjin, but then my mom said she wants me to live a normal life and be around _normal_ kids, I don't know what that means but they got into a big fight and-"

"Okay, that's enough of that Yerimie!" Jiwoo cut into Yerim's rambling, making the little girl pout adorably. "Why don't you go sit down with Chaewon! You remember her from New Year's last year, right?" Yerim nodded and sauntered off to sit at the empty desk next to the blonde-haired girl. The classroom got a bit too quiet and Jinsoul looked at Jiwoo expectantly, hoping she'd say something about how her favorite time's table was the tens time's table because it was the easiest after one or something similar.

"Jiwoo told me she wouldn't trust anybody else with Yerim more than you," Jinsoul jumped a little in surprise at the assumed doctor's voice, not expecting her to be the one to break the awkward silence. "I suppose if she trusts you that much I expect to get my daughter back in one piece, yeah?" The raven-haired substitute was still trying not to look in the woman's direction but her lips upturned into a grin at the familiar playful banter. 

"Tell that to the rest of the class..." Jinsoul grumbled under her breath before looking the doctor's way. "Yeah, of course, Lip." Jinsoul sent her a wink, her smile growing smug as a faint blush began painting the doctor's cheeks. Her face contorting into something that could only be described as confusion and then bashfulness and then somehow annoyance in seconds. She scoffed at the nickname but soon returned Jinsoul's smile.

"Good to see you, Jinsoul." The younger woman said before bidding her daughter and the rest of the class farewell, giving Jiwoo a quick hug then making her way to the exit. Jiwoo looked at Jinsoul questioningly as if to tell her they'd 'talk about this later', the older woman simply gave her a thumbs up and Jiwoo was on her way. Jinsoul was pretty sure she was late for that meeting.

"Okay, where were we? Oh yeah, Yerim is three times four, seven?"

"No..."

"Incorrect, _oof_ rough start."

**. . .**

The rest of the day was pretty peaceful, Haseul had come in during playtime and taught the kids a song. Yerim integrated easily with Chaewon's friend group, it was kind of shocking since Yerim was so sweet and calm, and not terrifying, and wasn't a threat to aquatic ecosystems, and hopefully wasn't aspiring to be the Caesar of the modern world. But besides that, Jinsoul supposed it was nice to see Yerim making friends quickly. They practiced verbs and conjunctions and Jinsoul played some Schoolhouse Rock videos. When Jiwoo said Schoolhouse Rock she thought they'd be watching a Jack Black movie, the substitute was very disappointed, to say the least. 

Though Jinsoul was glad the day went without a hitch she couldn't shake her thoughts of Jungeun. _Jungeun_ , someone she thought she'd never see again. She met her in the 8th grade when Jinsoul would peer-tutor underclassmen, where they bonded over bad grades and musical theatre, she would later become her closest confidant through highschool. They joined the drama club together and always got lead role, after lead role. Sometimes they'd be so good the club leader was forced to double cast them. The unstoppable duo promised each other they'd both move to the states together one day and start their careers as broadway superstars. Of course, that never happened, Jinsoul was accepted into college hours away from home and the two lost touch. Jungeun was a rather big part of Jinsoul's life, it was heartbreaking but eventually, she learned to cope. Now to have the wound ripped open again...it was a lot to process.

"Ms. Jung!" The strangely hoarse voice of Im Yeojin pulled Jinsoul out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Yeojin? Didn't I tell you if you had questions about the classwork, ask Yerim, she taught the whole class math a while ago including me-"

" _Why_ would I ask _you_ questions about the classwork? You can barely count backward'."

"Excuse me there were a lot of people looking at me, the pressure was too much." Jinsoul reasoned, a bit offended that a six-year-old had just called her an idiot.

"I just wanted to ask what was on your mind? Yeojin spoke with full sincerity, looking a little frustrated but equally as concerned. Jinsoul was taken aback. She parted her lips to say something but was left speechless. Yeojin only smiled a bit, the mischievous glint in her eyes slowly returning. "I was gonna ask Hyejoo to come over here and ask but we haven't taught her empathy yet."

"Um...that's nice of you actually," the teacher smiled catching on to whatever game Yeojin was playing. "What do you want Yeojin?"

"Answers, Ms. Jung, answers." Yeojin leaned forward placing her hands on the desk. "The kids by the dollhouse have been talking and-" her voice got quieter, Jinsoul moved in closer to hear her better. "They're saying you got beef..."

"I got beef-"

"Yeah, with Mrs. Kim." Yeojin finished smirking at her teacher.

"That's not true, sure I get mad that Sooyoung cancels our plans to hang out with Jiwoo but it's not like-"

"No!! _Mrs._ Kim." It clicked, she's been found out. Jinsoul looked over to the corner of the room where the dollhouse was located, there, Chaewon, Hyejoo, and now, Yerim wethere staring directly at her. Her eyes began to shake and Yeojin's smirk only got wider. "So it's true?"

"What do you know?" She asked in a low growl. These kids were smart, _too_ smart.

"Yerim's mom totally left you in the dust to become a fancy surgeon and marry a rich C.E.O." Yeojin cackled and retreated toward her friends, clutching her stomach for air almost doubling over. Jinsoul scoffed, rolling her eyes feigning annoyance, though the broad smile on her face did nothing to sell the act

"That is _not_ what happened!!"

"Sure sounds like it, Ms. Jung!"

**. . .**

Another day had ended and everyone had been picked up except Yerim. Jinsoul and the young girl waited in silence for about fifteen minutes until the teacher decided on letting her play something on her phone while she cleaned the classroom up a bit. Yerim didn't seem the slightest bit fazed that nobody had come to pick her up yet, so Jinsoul had assumed it was because her parents had worked long hours.

"Who's supposed to be picking you up, sweetie?" The teacher asked softly. Yerim looked up from Jinsoul's phone and gave her a weird look before smiling widely.

"Oh! My dad I think, my mom works late on Thursdays." Jinsoul hummed in response continuing to put the discarded toys and books in their respective places. As if right on cue the sound of running could be heard in the hallways and then, strangely, later a loud thud.

"Must be your dad!" Jinsoul laughed a bit concluding whoever had been in the hallways had slipped and fell, Yerim giggled cutely along with her.

"Jesus, Hyunjin when I said go get your sister before she thinks you forgot her I didn't say run and fall on your ass!" A new voice rang through the halls. Jinsoul looked over to Yerim perplexed, only to find the young girl smiling widely. Soon, an older girl with raven hair and features not unlike that of Yerim's had made her way chaotically into the classroom.

"HYUNJIN!"

"YERIM!" The six-year-old quickly rushed out of her desk to envelop her assumed sister in a giant bear hug. Jinsoul cooed at the interaction, setting down the last of the scattered books and toys into their correct spots and facing the two children.

"Heejin!" Another girl joined in as she entered the classroom, freezing a bit when she looked at the substitute leaning lazily (or to her cooly) on the wall. " _Woah_...h-hi!' She awkwardly spoke, her face beginning to color at an almost comical rate. Jinsoul waved back politely with a tight-lipped smile, feeling a smidge weirded out when the girl's stare didn't leave her. Yerim untangled herself from her sister's arms and ran into the self-proclaimed Heejin and hugged her as well.

"Are you kids here with Yerim's father, I can't let her go without an adult." Jinsoul scratched her nape sheepishly, feeling bad for ruining the moment. Hyunjin's face fell at the mention of her father.

"He's not here," Her words trembled at the end of the sentence, she cleared her throat awkwardly before she straightened out her back and gave the teacher a determined look. "My mom's on her way, we kind of ran out of the car as soon as she pulled up..." Hyunjin chuckled softly, her strong persona diminishing drastically when she smiled.

"Hyunjin was at a soccer retreat thingie with Heejinie, I haven't seen them all week!" Yerim exclaimed, clinging on to Heejin's skirt. Both Heejin and Hyunjin wore the same uniforms. Hyunjin's looking a little more roughed up, with her tie loosened and blazer tied messily around her waist.

"Hyunjin, I know you miss your sister but you could've waited till I parked the car instead of jumping out while I was driving! You scared me half to death." Jungeun groaned as she entered the class."Oh hey, Soul!" Jinsoul blinked confused but shot her a grin anyway as she stood up properly."Sorry about the kids they're a little-"

"Rambunctious?" The older woman finished, waving away her apology. Jungeun smiled, the usual blush beginning to grace her features again.

"Yeah..." She breathed out. Hyunjin looked between Jinsoul and Jungeun several times, a glare settling on her features as she stared down the raven-haired teacher. 

"You know pretty teacher?" Heejin broke the silence, her voice cracking ever so slightly. 

"Yes Heejin, I know pretty teacher," Jungeun laughed shaking her head at Heejin's antics. "thanks for looking after Yerim, I'm sure she blurted out her father was supposed to pick her up, this whole affair was pretty impromptu."

"No problem!! Yerim is a sweetheart!" Jinsoul reassured her. "Yerim what's three times four?"

"Not seven!"

"Hmm, we'll have to work on her math though."

**. . .**

**Les be Teachers + Sooyoung**

**YvesSaintLaurent: Who's up for drinks?**

**Fish: some of us have jobs, Sooyoung**

**YvesSaintLaurent: You were jobless like 4 days ago??**

**Fish: yes, Sooyoung. 4 days ago.**

**ChuuChuu: how about tomorrow night to celebrate Jinsoul's first week**

**ChuuChuu: and a reunion with her long lost best friend**

**AdultYeojin: what?**

**Fish: what?**

**YvesSaintLaurent: Shit just because I don't work with yall I'm suddenly 'long lost'??**

**Fish: yes.**

**ChuuChuu: no, I'm talking about Jungeun**

**AdultYeojin: i was talking about my name-**

**Fish: it seems oddly fitting right?**

**AdultYeojin: NO**

**ChuuChuu: i'm inviting Jungeun anyway**

**YvesSaintLaurent: Who's Jungeun?**

**ChuuChuu: no one you should be jealous of**

**YvesSaintLaurent: Who says I'm jealous I just wanna know who she is??**

**ChuuChuu: i'm breaking up with you**

**YvesSaintLaurent: What??**

**AdultYeojin: this happens often or..?**

**Fish: every week, last time they broke up because Sooyoung keeps auto-capitalization on**

**AdultYeojin: seems fair**

**. . .**

**Incoming call: unknown number**

"I swear, Seonghwa I lost your science notes years ago, I'm not going to waltz back into college to look for them. STOP CALLING ME!!" Jinsoul hung up the phone as quickly as she picked up, throwing it on her bed with a huff. To be fair she'd been the one who had written those notes for him when he went to the bathroom, so technically they _were_ hers.

**Incoming call: unknown number**

"Seonghwa-"

 _"It's Jungeun..."_ The familiar melodic voice rung through the line. Jinsoul bit her lip trying to stop the large grin threatening to break out on her face at the sound. A feeling of nostalgia washing over the woman as she reminisced on the times the two would talk for hours on end. _"Uh, Soul? You there?"_

"Y-yeah, just a little surprised that's all."

 _"Well, yeah, me too. Jiwoo gave me your number and told me to call you, saying you had something to ask me."_ Jinsoul scoffed rolling her eyes.

"Did she now?" Jinsoul muttered under her breath. "Tomorrow Jiwoo and I were going out for drinks with some friends, we were wondering if you'd like to join."

_"Oh, sounds good, who's coming?"_

"Jiwoo's girlfriend-"

_"Jiwoo has a **girlfriend**?"_

"She probably hasn't told you because they break up every week, the timing probably wasn't right..." Jinsoul joked, Jungeun giggled quietly in response waiting for the older woman to continue. "Yeah, just her and another teacher from school."

 _"I'll have to see if I can leave Hyunjin and Yerim at Vivi's place then."_ She spoke in a whisper almost like she didn't want anybody to hear her. It was quiet again but neither of the two said goodbye or hung up the call.

"You're married?" Jinsoul blurted out hoping to fill the silence."To a _guy_?"

 _"Uhm yeah, why'd you say it like that?"_ Jungeun laughed nervously.

"Sorry, it's just that you're the only straight friend I have now." That was a lie, Jinsoul had no idea whether Haseul was straight but she looked at Minju's mom Eunbi way too closely for her to believe that. Either way, she was just trying to keep the conversation going. Jungeun's nervous laughter continued, sounding very forced and incredibly frightening.

"Jesus, are you okay? Is there a serial killer in the room? Jiwoo has a black belt I can call her-"

 _"What? No, no. I'm fine."_ Jungeun assured, a long silence settling in before she explained herself. _"I think I'm just a little awkward?"_

"Awkward?"

 _"Yes, awkward._ "

"Everyone called you Kim Lip in Highschool cause you had so much sass and attitude and now you're _awkward_." Jinsoul teased hoping to clear the tension.

 _"Jinsoul, it's been 14 years, sometimes things change."_ Jungeun snapped. Once again surprised by the younger woman's behavior, Jinsoul stayed quiet. A long sigh escaped Jungeun _. "Sorry, I'm really stressed right now..."_

"It's okay..." Jinsoul mumbled just loud enough for the other to hear.

 _"Yerim -- uh, she says that she met the president today. She said it was a girl named Chaewon?"_ Jungeun spoke again, attempting to lift the awkward atmosphere.

"Oh yeah! Chaewon is -- she's a really strange kid...you only meet a miniature Joseph Stalin once right?"

_"What?"_

"It's a long story."

 _"Oh?... Well, thank you, by the way."_ The abrupt sign of gratitude surprised the older woman though, she hummed in acknowledgment anyway. It was getting quite late and Jinsoul was starting to feel guilty for keeping the busy woman up.

"Listen, I gotta go, I've got work tomorrow and so do you," Jinsoul began. "It was nice talking to you, we'll catch up later, alright?"

_"Yeah! I-I should go, it was nice talking to you too, Jinsoul!"_

**. . .**

**Fish: Ms. Kim we've got beef now.**

**ChuuChuu: Jinsoul this is no time to invite me over for dinner it's 10 and you've got work tomorrow**

**YvesSaintLaurent: YOU TRYNA STEAL MY GIRL JUNG???**

**Fish: what even-**

**AdultYeojin: can we talk about more pressing matters like my name or why Jinsoul is teaching her kids 3 x 4 is 7**

**ChuuChuu: it's not?**

**Fish: yes it is don't listen to her**

**AdultYeojin: eye-**

**AdultYeojin: OKAY BUT MY NAME???**

**(Fish and 3 others have left chat)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wOo..hi..don't worry after this the chapters get pretty long for the most part! OH! my twt is @heekkiesdyke and you can also find my cc in my carrd if you wanna leave things in there idk man do wtvr lol. HOPE YOU LIKED IT! P.S. The ages go as follows: Sooyoung, Vivi, Jinsoul, Haseul, (32). Jungeun, Jiwoo, (30). Hyunjin, Heejin, (10). Yerim, Yeojin, Chaewon, Hyejoo (6).


	3. What if we Kissed..haha Just Kidding...Unless? [TW]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jungeun reconnects with two past loves...
> 
> TW // mentions of homophobia !! I'll add another warning when it comes to it. 
> 
> This chapter is split up into two parts.  
> Italics = Past  
> Regular = Present

"Yerim, stop running!! We're in school!" Jungeun scolded, attempting to calm the hyper child down to no avail.

"Ms. Jung says whoever gets to class first gets to name the new fish she bought!" Jungeun smiled at Yerim, thanking Jinsoul in her head, she hadn't seen her daughter this excited in a while. Work had been keeping her from taking Yerim out to do stuff she likes as much as she used to but she was glad this new school would keep Yerim busy in the meantime. "Yeojin says if we name it we'll get too attached though, I don't know what she means by that but I'm excited about it!!"

"Is Yeojin your new friend?"

"And Chaewon, and Hyejoo! Minju too I think!" She furrowed her eyebrows a bit looking like she was thinking a little too hard only to turn and dash towards the classroom once more. Jungeun took her time around the halls suspecting Yerim had already gotten there. Hyunjin was the athlete between the two but give Yerim enough motivation (and candy) she could run a marathon just as fast as an adult. Jungeun always thought it was a trait they both acquired from their father.

Not even a minute later Jiwoo found her traveling in the halls. Jungeun may or may not have taken a detour into the fourth-grade hallway just to find her. Can't blame her though, the two rarely get to see each other. Jungeun would never admit but that was her fault. "Mrs. Kim Jungeun, is that you?"

"Dr. Kim Jungeun, Jiwoo." The doctor corrected earning a playful shove from the teacher.

"Did she ask you?" Jungeun furrowed her eyebrows at Jiwoo, confused by the sudden question. "Jinsoul." She clarified linking their arms together as they strolled through the halls, not really in a rush.

"Oh yeah, I'm in. I already checked in with Vivi, Hyunjin wanted to have a sleepover with Heejin anyway." Jungeun smiled fondly at the thought of the young girl. Heejin had been Hyunjin's best friend for what seems like forever, and she loved her like her own daughter and Vivi almost like an older sister.

Jiwoo beamed at the mention of her friend, turning to Jungeun excitedly. "Oh my gosh Vivi?! I haven't seen her in so long, how is she?"

"She's good -- more than good, I think. She's working on adopting Heejin now." Jungeun said matter-of-factly. Vivi was quite a successful child advocate lawyer when she met a toddler Heejin and decided on becoming her foster mother immediately after their first encounter. No surprise though, Heejin was always quite the charmer, even if she did have a few rough patches in her childhood.

"Aw, that's wonderful, I'm sure Heejin is happy!" Jiwoo cooed at the memory of Vivi and Heejin. As they made their way to Jinsoul's classroom the halls were filled with loud banter. Jungeun furrowed her eyebrows trying to make out the voices as they got closer.

"Yeojin! No! You can't torment my fish! Look at Yerim, she's pouting!"

"Because you won't let me torment the fish! It's in the bag, water won't spill, I'll just jostle it a little!" Jungeun rose her eyebrow in Jiwoo's direction, she only giggled looking pleased."I just wanna see if it's strong enough to be worthy of you!" The situation was becoming more concerning as the little girl -- Yeojin continued to talk.

"Aren't they just precious!!" Jiwoo exclaimed pushing Jungeun into the classroom. It was empty, only a few kids had arrived since she and Yerim were quite early. Jungeun supposed Yerim badly wanted to name the fish.

"Mommy, come look!" As soon as Jungeun came inside Yerim had pulled her hand towards Jinsoul. The woman couldn't help but smile when their eyes met, the teacher looked incredibly disheveled like she wrestled a bear or something. Her black bangs tussled to the side messily, and her glasses were worn crooked on her face, when Jungeun looked down she realized she was wearing some old pair of black Converse Allstars with the laces tying her feet together. She struggled to hide her laughter upon the discovery forcing a loud snort to come out instead.

"Never wear sneakers in the workplace." Jungeun teased letting their eyes meet again, the teacher becoming more flustered by the second.

"Noted," Jinsoul mumbled with a huff, pouting cutely at the doctor.

"Show her the fish, Ms. Jung!" Yerim urged, going down on her knees to free her beloved teacher from her bonds. In response, the teacher carefully removed her hands from behind her back and showed Jungeun the plastic bag filled with water. Lo and behold, a happy looking blue fish was swimming around in it.

"It's a blue betta! Choerry named it Dialga like the pokemon." Jinsoul smiled like a kid.

"Cheorry?"

"It's Yerim's nickname cause she's as sweet as a cherry!" Yerim sat back up after tying Jinsoul's shoes correctly and looked at her disgusted.

"Yeah, Yerim hates cherries." Jungeun laughed, smoothing out the whisps of loose hair on her daughter's head affectionately. 

"It's okay it can just be her nickname!" Jinsoul giggled as she walked to the other side of the classroom to put the new pet in its aquarium. Jungeun watched curiously, not sure if she was happy to see that Jinsoul hadn't changed much since their last encounter in Highschool. She kneeled to reach Yerim's height and gave her a quick embrace and a kiss on her forehead before making her way to Jiwoo again.

"Can I at least get a thank you?" Jiwoo spoke in a whisper as they walked out into the hall once again. Jungeun gave her a quizzical look. "I reconnected you with your long lost best friend!"

"Unintentionally." Jungeun rolled her eyes at the teacher's classic Jiwoo-like games.

"Oh c'mon, so! I still did it!" she shook Jungeun's arm violently."The way you look at her-"

"What about it." She snapped, Jiwoo looked at her taken aback. Her lips parted only to be shut again. "Can we drop this, _please_... Why don't we talk about that mysterious girlfriend of yours?" Jungeun spoke, trying to lighten the mood again, feeling bad at snapping at her cousin like that. Jiwoo only gave her a pained expression, before releasing a shaky breath.

"Not that either please..." Jungeun huffed a little annoyed as a response. Jiwoo often had relationships like this, where she would claim them to be _the one_ only for her to drop them the next week. What confused the doctor the most was how long this one lasted to be labeled as an 'on and off relationship' rather than just a _fling_. She had more questions but didn't press on knowing Jiwoo let her slide with the whole Jinsoul thing.

The two walked to the front doors of the school in silence, Jungeun took her hand in her's and squeezed it gently before walking out to the parking lot. Jungeun's life was lavish, sure, and she didn't regret at all how it turned out but she wanted nothing more than to go back to when life was easier.

**. . .**

_Usually, when somebody asks you if you could relive another day what would it be, your immediate response probably wouldn't be a bland March day in the sixth grade. Maybe it'd be your wedding day or graduation, but hell, not the sixth grade. In the sixth grade, your bad choices can be written off as hormonal imbalance, you've got acne and other uncomfortable new things that grow on you. It's gross. But for Jungeun, the sixth grade was a rollercoaster of adventure because of a certain eighth-grade girl._

_The first day they met she was already starstruck, Jinsoul was beyond pretty and oozed confidence. Luckily for Jungeun, she was also failing her physics class and her, her geometry class (yes Jinsoul was once good at math). Their teachers had assigned them to peer tutor each other for the week but Jungeun already knew she'd do whatever it takes to extend their time slot together. The only problem was, she wasn't the friendliest of people in the world. She had no idea how to talk to people without making it seem like she hated them, nine out of ten times that was the case though. She always thought she could only associate with people worth her time and matched her talent and academic skill (or lack thereof), and Jinsoul was exactly that. So Jungeun only had two options: make Jinsoul fail her physics class and completely flunk her geometry midterm, or somehow immerse herself in whatever Jinsoul liked. She chose the latter since she was just trying to make a friend not retake a class._

_This task proved itself to be quite easy actually, most of the time during their study sessions during lunch she'd just talk about some new musical her parents are getting her tickets to, or what her vocal coach taught her, or wanting to play the lead of whatever broadway play. Jungeun -- at the time had no clue what the hell she was talking about, all she knew is the next day she signed up for the drama club, and show choir, and begged her parents to get her a vocal coach. (They said no, but Jungeun supposed it was a bit much anyway.) She humored her the first few days but as time went on Jungeun grew to be a bit of a drama geek herself. Before she met Jinsoul if you asked her what the hell Cats was she'd say an animal, but now everything she'd ever known had been altered. It wasn't just a new hobby for her though, Jungeun was completely enamored with the girl, infatuated to the fullest extent. Being her very oblivious self she passed it off as looking up to the older girl as a role model._

_Some years passed and the pair were inseparable, they ruled high school (to an extent). Maybe being in the show choir and the drama club won't boost your popularity points as much as you'd want but they had each other and that's all they needed. At least that's what Jinsoul always said and Jungeun believed her._

_"Why are you pouting? There's no need for pouting!" Jungeun tried to calm Jinsoul down, feeling her heartache a little when she saw the tears threatening to fall from the older girl's eyes. They just came back to Jungeun's house from school after the cast list of Titanic the Musical was released. It was the last play of the year, and it was very important to Jinsoul that she and Jungeun would get the leading roles, Rose and Jack respectively._

_"Titanic is our last show together before I go to college..." She started sniffling. **College,** it almost slips her mind. For some reason, Jungeun had this fantasy that Jinsoul would be with her forever but this whole college thing slapped her in the face pretty hard."You were supposed to be my Jack, not my understudy! Hell, I'd play Jack if it meant I could act with you again!" She looked angry now and it was Jungeun's turn to pout._

_"No. Rose is yours, you worked hard for that role-"_

_"It wouldn't have mattered if I knew you weren't going to do this with me," Jinsoul cut her off, her voice raising a bit out of frustration. The sincerity in her eyes was enough for Jungeun to break down and cry right on her shoulder but she stayed strong. She watched as Jinsoul shifted awkwardly on the bed, her face filling with color as she looked down at the floor. The corners of Jungeun's lips upturned slightly, "Seriously, I'd give up everything for you."_

_"Then don't go to college." Jungeun took her hand in her own and held on so tight she knew it hurt her. Afraid if she let go Jinsoul would somehow slip away from her faster. Jinsoul stayed quiet, staring at the girl in front of her with her eyebrows furrowed."Don't go just stay with me. Fail your calc final or something!!" Another beat of silence passed before Jinsoul began chuckling softly for a moment. She grinned at Jungeun, squeezing her hand with just as much strength as she had for a few seconds._

_"You know I can't do that."_ _She laughed again pulling Jungeun in for a hug. She held tightly onto her torso, her fingers still loosely intertwined with Jinsoul's as she suddenly began feeling hollow at the thought of not being able to hug her like this anymore._

_"I know..." She said with trembling words feeling herself start to sob, Jinsoul only held her closer. Right then and there Jungeun realized the reason she blushed anytime Jinsoul looked at her for too long, or she felt her heart warm when Jinsoul hugged her, or why she missed her so bad when she wasn't around. It wasn't just becuase Jinsoul was her role model or her best friend, it was because she loved her. Jungeun loved her like she was supposed to love a boy and that terrified her. But what terrified her more than anything was losing Jinsoul._

**. . .**

**Jinsoul: LIPPPPP!!**

**Jinsoul: I know you've got doctor stuff or whatever but look what I found**

****

**Jinsoul: Remember the Titanic after party!!**

**. . .**

"Hyunjin, _please_ stop fighting with your sister, or I will turn this car around." Jungeun glared at the two, watching from the rearview mirror as they bickered about what show to watch.

"She always gets to pick the show, mom! When do I get to pick the show." Hyunjin huffed crossing her arms in disdain.

"Figure out a compromise or I'll pick it for you." She threatened, getting a bit fed up with the attitude she was receiving from Hyunjin.

"Like she'd turn around, she's too excited to see Ms. Jung," Hyunjin grumbled under her breath, finally deciding on letting Yerim pick the show anyway.

"What was that?" Jungeun snapped, cursing herself mentally at the slight crack in her voice. She felt her face heat up a bit at the accusation, thankful that her children couldn't see her from where she was sitting.

"Nothing mom..." Hyunjin smiled playing innocent. Jungeun continued to drive not saying anything else and let them watch whatever Hannah Montanna episode Yerim chose in peace. When they arrived at Vivi's house she let the kids run in first while she took a moment to herself. She told the girls she had a work call and would meet them inside with their bags.

When the kids were out of sight, she set her forehead head on the steering wheel of the Lincoln Aviator sighing loudly as she tried to make her brain think straight (literally). She felt her hands grip the wheel tighter at the thought of seeing Jinsoul.

"God, Jungeun, you've got a fantastic job, you're husband is awesome when he'saround, and you have two beautiful daughters with him. Stop being so selfish." She repeated this to herself like a mantra, closing her eyes tight as she took deep breathes trying to believe it.

"Dr. Kim? Dr. Kim!?! Wait, don't die yet, I'm gonna go get a rock to break the window! I know CPR!!" Jungeun shot up from her position. Heejin's gruff voice waking her from her trance. She quickly slammed the passenger door open and grabbed Heejin by the arm, turning the young girl around to face her.

"Oh my god, knock, Heejin!"

"Oh, you're alive, well that's good." Heejin smiled releasing herself from the doctor's grasp. "Vivi says I should help you with the bags!!"

"You don't have to do that, honey-"

"I want to, don't worry!!" Heejin interjected. Jungeun sighed and accepted defeat. What Heejin wants Heejin gets, that's always been the case. Hyunjin always called her puppy because she was as needy as one. Jungeun walked out of the car closing the driver seat door while Heejin closed the one on the passenger side that had been abruptly opened. She opened the trunk and gave Heejin Hyunjin's duffel bag since it was lighter compared to Yerim's (with all her toys and stuff). "Hyunjin told me you're seeing Ms. Jung today!" Heejin exclaimed, and she suddenly realized why the ten-year-old so badly wanted to help her carry the bags inside.

On the way back from Yerim's school, Heejin couldn't stop gushing about how pretty Jinsoul was and how she wanted to be like her despite barely even having the chance to talk to her. Jungeun wanted to take a picture of Hyunjin's face that day, how annoyed her daughter looked, but she felt like that would've just made matters worse.

"Yes, I am, we're celebrating her first week as a teacher." Jungeun laughed at the way Heejin's eyes lit up at the new information.

"Will you tell her I said congrats, Doc?" She held Hyunjin's bag to her chest so tightly Jungeun was afraid the zipper would pop.

"Of course, Heejin."

"Oh, Dr. Kim! I hear she was your friend when you were a kid!" Everyone seems to be hearing that these days, the doctor wanted to say but she kept mum. "Was she always that gorgeous!"

"Yeah, she was..." Jungeun spoke distantly suddenly wanting desperately for the topic to change.

**. . .**

"Haven't seen you in a hot second, how's it going, Kim?" Vivi asked with her eyebrows raised. At some point, the butler had taken the bags from the pair so Heejin could run in the kitchen and eat a snack with Hyunjin and Yerim. Jungeun pushed her lightly, trying to get the playful expression off Vivi's face.

"It's going I guess." She responded with a small smile.

"What's up with Mr. Big Shot Minhyun?" Jungeun rolled her eyes, clapping her hands excitedly feigning joy.

"Wouldn't know, haven't seen him." She seethed through a forced smile. Vivi patted her shoulder in understanding and pulled her toward the kitchen.

"Ms. Wong, Heejin's putting grapes in her nose!" Hyunjin called, doubling over in laughter when Heejin shot her a glare.

"Shut up, tattletale." The shorter girl said harshly pushing Hyunjin. Or not harshly at all since Heejin was fairly small compared to the latter.

"Now Heejin, remember what happened last time, I don't want to have to tell your doctor a seed shot up your nasal cavity again." Vivi warned, but it was clear she was holding back a mocking chuckle of her own. Hyunjin's laughter only grew tenfold and Yerim soon joined causing Heejin to go red. The two adults smiled at the scene.

"It was one time..." Heejin said getting flustered. After the laughter died down Jungeun said her goodbyes to the children giving them a hug and a kiss (that Hyunjin promptly wiped away). 

"Don't have too much fun please!" Hyunjin called, blowing her mother a kiss when nobody was looking as the two adults walked to the door again.

"What Hyunjin said." Vivi winked pulling her friend into a tight hug before letting her go. She watched from the door as Jungeun got in her car and pulled out the driveway.

**. . .**

_It had been three months since Jungeun last saw Jinsoul. In those three months, she had started her junior year of high school, began looking into medical schools, and had gotten rid of any remnants of Jung Jinsoul, including drama club and show choir. She had to, it hurt enough that Jinsoul hadn't thought of contacting her once. Part of Jungeun wanted to believe she was just being her regular dramatic self and tried to send her letters by pigeon or something that obviously didn't arrive because that's just how Jinsoul was. But alas that wasn't the slightest bit plausible. Jinsoul had **excentric** ideas sure but she knew that she was just giving herself false hope, finding a reason to prove Jinsoul ever cared for her at all._

_During the first month, she waited for her call, as soon as she got home she would always ask her mom if she missed any of them, the answer was always no. So instead of waiting Jungeun just accepted the fact that Jinsoul had practically dumped her before she could even get the chance to tell her how she felt. Not that she'd ever thought of doing that of course. During the second month, Jungeun's cousin Jiwoo had moved into the neighborhood because her parents wanted to be closer to home. This allowed Jungeun to cry with someone rather than be lonely and pitiful. She was kind of confused when Jungeun told her she wanted her to cry with her, no questions asked, but followed through with the request as any good close relative should._

_The third month came around and Jungeun had more or less stopped crying so much, but every time she was reminded of her she would always breakdown. What made matters worse is that **everything** reminded Jungeun of the older girl. She even cried during math class, teachers had to send her to the guidance counselor one too many times. But it's not like anybody thought she was crazy thankfully, everyone knew how close the inseparable duo was and knew how hard it must've been for Jungeun to not be around Jinsoul anymore, all of it was just worrying. One day when Jiwoo had slept over she cornered her cousin, threatening to tell her parents about all the crying if she hadn't told her what was wrong. It didn't scare Jungeun too much since her parents were constantly notified of her 'episodes' thanks to Counselor Jeon herself, but she thought it was only fair that she told at least somebody. What did terrify her was Jiwoo's reaction once she finally broke the news. It's not exactly every day you find out your cousin likes a girl and could quite possibly like girls in general. It had Jungeun fearing the worst._

_"Out with it Jungie!" Jiwoo exclaimed inching closer to her on the living room floor. Their parents had gone out to dinner so they had the house to themselves till late._

_"Don't rush me okay, it's kinda hard..." Jungeun spoke meekly as she played with the bracelet on her wrist, hoping it would keep her mind occupied, she promised herself she wouldn't cry this time. Jiwoo laid her hand on her cousin's thigh as she turned down the volume of whatever movie was playing on the tv, waiting patiently as Jungeun collected her thoughts. "I like someone."_

_Jiwoo blinked staying silent for a moment and looking awfully disappointed at the turn of events."That's it?? You're crying over some boy! Does he not like you, I've got a black belt-"_

_"No! Jiwoo...that's not it." Jungeun felt her breathing become ragged and her eyes beginning to sting."The person I like_ _goes to college far away, and I haven't heard from them in months..." Jungeun paused, feeling her throat beginning to clog and her voice threatening to crack. Jiwoo squeezed her thigh encourangigly willing her to go on."Jiwoo they -- **she's** very important to me and I -- for a while I thought I was to her too." Jiwoo gasped quietly, her mouth slightly ajar as she stares silently at her cousin. Jungeun locked eyes with her trying to search for any semblance of joy, or even disgust, just any reaction but her stare was blank. The tears started to flow out of her eyes as she pulled Jiwoo in for a hug, hiding her face in the crook of Jiwoo's neck as her sobs became louder. She didn't return it for a while but a few minutes passed and Jungeun felt her petite hands rubbing circles on her back soothingly. "Don't hate me Jiwoo..." She choked, letting out another pained sob as she held on to her cousin tighter, her hot pink shirt bunched up between Jungeun's fists._

_"God, you act all tough around everyone but you're a real baby. you know that?" She chuckled ruffling Jungeun's hair. She unwrapped her arms from Jiwoo's neck and clasped her hands instead, looking at her with furrowed eyebrows. "Why would I hate you for that dummie." Jiwoo grinned squeezing her hands._

_"I don't know, it's weird isn't it?" Jungeun cleared her throat, sniffling a bit. It felt good to tell someone, she finally felt like she didn't need to cry anymore._

_"Who told you that!"_

_"My parents." Jiwoo's smile faltered at the realization, though she continued to hold her cousin's hands tightly._

_"Well, on the topic...I've kissed lots of girls!"_

**. . .**

"Jungie! Look Sooyoung it's Jungie~" Jiwoo slurred, wrapping her arms around Jungeun's neck, placing a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "You're my favorite cousin you know that!!" She winced at the loudness of the girl. The bar was quiet the only other people there besides the crew were a few men that sat playing poker in the corner. It might've been a bar, but the wood paneling and rustic decor made it feel a bit homier than what the doctor was used too. Then again she hadn't been to a bar where you weren't obligated to wear a suit or a dress in a while.

A pretty raven-haired girl had tugged Jiwoo away from her neck, giving Jungeun an apologetic look before reaching her hand out.

"So you must be the elusive cousin." She spoke in a satoori accent making her aura erupt in even more mysterious elegance. Jungeun smirked at her, of course, Jiwoo would undoubtedly fall for her.

"And you the elusive girlfriend?" The doctor said, shaking her hand firmly. "Or was it ex?"

"Nope! They made up when Sooyoung promised to stop saying 'lol' in real life...and then Jiwoo got wasted." The familiar voice cut in. An arm snaked its way around Jungeun's shoulders. From the familiar scent of lavender and shampoo, Jungeun didn't have to look up to know who it was but she did anyway, glad to be greeted by Jinsoul's large dopey grin when she did so. "Hey, Mrs. Kim!"

"Dr. Kim..." Jungeun corrected quietly, looking down to hide her face when she felt a blush creep up her neck from the contact. A short-haired brunette came into view waving at her politely, a charming smile gracing her already charming features.

"I'm Haseul! You must be Dr. Kim, was it?" Haseul asked, Jungeun nodded bowing her head a little at the pretty stranger. Jinsoul took her arm off the doctor's shoulders to go to the new girl's side and link arms with her. Jungeun's eye twitched at the sight but she shook it off, thinking her jealousy was irrational and frankly shouldn't exist in the first place.

"You know, Haseul? Lippie here is quite the singer." Haseul raised an eyebrow at Jinsoul before shaking away her arm harshly, rolling her eyes at the substitute's shenanigans. "Haseul's got some chords too!"

"WAIT! I think I can ask Yugyeom to turn on the karaoke machine!!" Jiwoo clapped her hands excitedly before running back to the bar. Jungeun rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disapproval.

"There's no way this is happening-"

"C'mon, I'll do it too, it'll be like old times!!" Jinsoul urged pulling her friend by the arm toward the little stage at the back of the bar. _Just like old times_ , Jungeun thought as she was once again greeted by a wave of heavy nostalgia. A good-looking guy with black hair caught the group's attention as he beamed from behind the counter.

"Glad you girls came to put on a show, work was getting kinda boring!" He called disappearing into the backroom a moment after.

"What song are we doing?" Haseul asked, suddenly sharing the same excitement as the other three girls. Jinsoul looked straight at Jungeun for a moment, her eyes looked as if she had just experienced thirty different emotions at once before she smiled.

"You remember Funny Girl right? Barbra." How could Jungeun forget? It was the first song Jinsoul ever sang in front of her, she learned every lyric after that day.

"Wait, who's Barbra?" Sooyoung asked, trying to peel Jiwoo off her arm.

"Streisand, silly!" Jiwoo chuckled gleefully before cutely hiccuping. Soon Yugyeom had returned from the backroom, lap-top in hand. He set it on a trolly near the stage and turned on the TV Jungeun didn't realize was there until then. He came over to her and shoved a microphone into her hands and pushed her up the stage's steps before excitedly going back to his original spot behind the bar. Jinsoul, with a microphone in hand, gave Jungeun a thumbs-up before the music began to start. Haseul starting off the song.

**Funny  
Did you hear that?  
Funny**

Jiwoo whooped, only to be silenced by Sooyoung. To be honest, Jungeun and anyone with ears would've done the same, Haseul's voice was already incredible yet she only sang a small part. Jinsoul began to sing now, her melodic low toned voice filling the room.

**Yeah, the guy said**

**"Honey, you're a funny girl."  
That's me  
I just keep them in stitches  
Doubled in half,**

Jungeun smiled, she hadn't realized how much she missed hearing Jinsoul sing, even if it wasn't just for her. It was Jungeun's turn now, the entire bar was looking at her, they even garnered the attention of the men playing poker. It was only a couple of people, but it took Jungeun back to the years she spent on the stage with Jinsoul and that filled high school auditorium.

**And though I may be all wrong for a guy,  
I'm good for a laugh,  
I guess it's not funny,  
Life is far from sunny,**

Jinsoul laughed bitterly suddenly embodying the character of Fanny Brice, though the lyrics meant something completely different for her. The room turned silent, she sighed and continued.

**When the laugh is over  
And the joke's on you,  
A girl oughta have a sense of humor  
That's one thing you really need for sure**

Soon everyone had begun to sing along with the lyrics shown on the tv screen, Jungeun turned to Jinsoul for the first time since she started singing and Jinsoul just stared back at her with the proudest smile, and her eyes filled with warmth. It was the look Jinsoul gave her when she got a seventy on her geometry midterm, the look she gave her when Jungeun got her first lead role, or when Jungeun finally ordered a coffee by herself at Starbucks without her holding her hand like a 'big girl'. It was the look that turned her little crush into something way more. She felt herself tearing up but she didn't care too much.

**When you're a funny girl  
The fella said "A funny girl"  
Funny  
How it ain't so funny,  
Funny girl**

Jungeun finished the song and the nine or so other people occupying the bar had erupted into thunderous applause. "Leave it to Jungeun to carry a whole show!" Jiwoo said whistling and cheering the loudest in the small crowd. Jungeun giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes. Jinsoul had snaked her arm around her waist pulling her into a tight embrace. Jungeun's breath hitched when she had realized the older woman was flush against her, not as used to her clingy nature as she was all those years ago.

"That's my girl!" She laughed airly squeezing Jungeun's waist tightly.

**. . .**

**T/W: Homophobia**

**. . .**

_Months passed since Jungeun had told Jiwoo her secret, and somewhere along the way, Jiwoo had come out to all of them during their weekend family gatherings, even going as far as to invite her girlfriend over to the next one (which never happened). Her parents seemed okay with it, and suggested she do so. Jungeun's parents, on the other hand, didn't show their discomfort outwardly but she could tell it was there._

_"How could her parents be so nonchalant about her being...like **that**?" Her mom spoke as Jungeun helped her wash the dishes after the other Kims had left the premises._

_"You can say lesbian, mama, it's not a curse word," Jungeun said quietly trying to hold back her rising anger as she dried up another dish._

_"Well in this house it is!" She huffed. "How can we talk so freely about such atrocities and call ourselves followers of God?" Jungeun bit her tongue staying quiet, feeling the bile rise from her throat._ Soon, her mother had dropped the topic and they finished the dishes together in tension-filled silence. She sat at the dinner table trying to finish her World History homework, while her mother worked diligently on her computer. When her mom wasn't preaching God's word, she was a pretty successful businesswoman, and her dad was a professor at a medical school nearby.

_"I know, Jungeun." Her mom spoke suddenly, causing Jungeun to look up from her textbooks and give her mother a questioning look. "I know how you feel about Jinsoul." Jungeun's heart stops and the tension-filled silence in the air was so thick she swore she felt it choking her._

_"What?" Jungeun croaked, a nervous smile stuck on her face as she looked at her mother, terror written all over her features._

_"It's okay, sweetheart, it's just one girl, you can be fixed you know that?" She said rather softly, but all Jungeun could hear was hatred and it twisted her stomach into knots._

_"What if I don't want to be fixed?" Jungeun breathed out, looking down at her books to avoid her mother's piercing gaze. The room was quiet once more, she held on to the pages of her textbook feeling the paper rip under my fingernails, trying to not throw up right then and there._

_"Then that's just **selfish,** honey." She snapped angrily causing Jungeun to jump in her seat, a tiny shriek leaving her throat. With a shaky breath Jungeun looked up at her mother. Her look softened as she look at her terrified daughter and gave her a kind smile, her eyes somehow looking both apologetic and dismissive."How will your children feel with no father **or** grandparents?" She said that with not a hint of malice in her voice, it was unsettling. She shot Jungeun another happy grin before she continues to write her email, leaving Jungeun fearing what was to come next._

_**. . .** _

The night went on, they had a few shots (except Jiwoo), shared a few beers (also except Jiwoo), sang a few songs, by the end of the night Haseul and Jinsoul were the only ones who were just blackout drunk. Jungeundidn't know if Jiwoo was also still drunk, or just being Jiwoo. Sooyoung had taken over the Karaoke machine and just started singing songs from the 2000s and 2010s. Haseul had taken the liberty to start slow dancing with Jinsoul to 'Sorry for Party Rocking' by LMFAO, and Jungeun wanted to find it cute but she was just a little jealous of their proximity so instead attempted to ignore it. Yeah, unfortunately, that didn't work out for her so she attempted to ignore it in the bathroom instead.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her face was red and puffy from all the drinking and she was starting to feel the alcohol. It was a good thing she stopped drinking after that last beer, who knows what drunk Jungeun had in store. She splashed cold water on her face, hoping she could keep the unwanted thoughts in her head out, but as Sooyoung's muffled singing grew louder her thoughts seemed to do the same with it.

**. . .**

**Minhyunie: Hey babe! I hope you're having fun with your friends!!**

**Minhyunie: I took a day off tomorrow we can go somewhere with the kids after we pick them up from Vivi's**

**Minhyunnie: I was thinking we could go to the zoo! the little princess was bugging me about it last week <3**

**. . .**

Jungeun closed her phone and took a deep breath. "You've got two beautiful daughters at home and a great _husband,_ Jungeun. Stop being _selfish._ " She closed her eyes, willing away any thoughts of Jinsoul, and how cute she looked today with that weird loose cartoon graphic tee hanging out her black jeans, and how she kept trying to catch her eyes and made a weird face every time Sooyoung made them take shots of some weird alcoholic concoction she made behind the bar. As if on cue, her thoughts were interrupted by the loud sound of the door being swung open.

"Jungie~ I was wondering where you went!" Jiwoo said, letting the door close behind her. She didn't say anything more till she situated herself, leaning her back on the stall wall that paralleled the sink Jungeun was using. "What's wrong?" Her tone was suddenly serious.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb Jungeun, I saw you make that face when you saw Jinsoul and Haseul, and I saw you sneaking away to the bathroom." Jungeun sighed, about to walk away and reach for the door, but Jiwoo grabbed her wrist tightly before she could even think about it."You need to talk to me Jungeun. I barely see you anymore."

"You see me all the time-"

"Not because you want to," She started, she didn't have to look at Jiwoo to know the younger girl was already starting to cry."Jungeun, the only time I ever hear from you is when we have those family gatherings on holidays, or when you send me those monthly text updates about how you're doing."

"I didn't mean to..." her voice was as low as a whisper, feeling worse when she heard Jiwoo's sniffles and stifled sobs.

"Yes, you did. You chose to cut everyone off." She sounded sort of angry now, her grip on Jungeun's wrist tightening. "Look, I just want you to talk to me just this once okay? Then you can go back to living in your walls again."

"Jiwoo..."

"Please, Jungeun." She sighed, her grip on her loosened as if giving me the option to leave but Jungeun stayed put. "It's her right? Jinsoul."

"I'm not gay, Jiwoo." She clenched her fists, feeling the sting of pain as her nails cut crescents into her palms. "I have a husband, and two kids and I couldn't have it any other way." Jiwoo let go of her completely now. Jungeun met her eyes and all she saw was disappointment behind all her tears, it hurt her heart but she kept a strong face.

"I know it's bothering you, not just the feelings part, something else." She walked towards the door looking at her feet. "At least talk to _her_ about it, if not me." Her voice sounded distant now as she walked out the bathroom doors leaving Jungeun alone in her dangerous thoughts. She stood there for a few moments, alone, feeling guilty. Sje heard knocking on the door, she thought it was Jiwoo coming back to grill her some more and waited for her to enter.

"Jiwoo told me to come in here. Are you throwing up--" Jinsoul froze upon seeing Jungeun's state. "--You're crying." She said softly, more to herself than the woman in front of her. She closed the door behind her, locking it once she was fully inside. The drunk Jinsoul Jungen had seen dancing in front of the karaoke stage suddenly sobered up now. She walked over to Jungeun pulling her into a hug. Jungeun shuddered as she basked in the comfort, she desperately missed her touch and she felt so pathetic thinking about how at home Jinsoul made her feel. "Please tell me what's wrong or I might go insane." She laughed, stroking Jungeun's back.

"Why did you never call?" Jungeun felt Jinsoul stiffen a bit but she relaxed again putting her head on her shoulder. "You never called, you never wrote to me, you never even sent me some dramatic ass scroll or any other Jinsoul-like thing."

"What are you talking about?" She asked incredulously. "When I left, I called your house every day hoping you'd pick up but it was always your parents. I wrote to you too. To be honest, I even actually thought of buying an owl so I could send you letters like in Harry Potter." She chuckled at the last part, Jungeun scoffed rolling her eyes. "I thought you just didn't wanna talk to me." Her voice lowered to a whisper again.

"My parents picked up those calls?" Jungeun asked for clarification, she felt Jinsoul's head nod in response, her hold on Jungeun's waist tightening. She connected her hands around her shoulders, pulling the substitute closer to her. She felt the anger rise in the pit of her stomach but decided now wasn't the time. "I want to go drinking with you again, but just you." She whispered in her ear.

**. . .**

**Gang Gang Gang**

**YvesSaintLaurent: Haseul is safe at home for anyone who was wondering**

**AdultYeojin: junge n sho g be tge nrw barbera**

**ChuuChuu: the poor thing-**

**DoctorOc: thank you Haseul**

**Fish: Haseul during Chuu's adaption of super bass**

****

**AdultYeojin: it w s a gpod sing**

**YvesSaintLaurent: stan Chuu Minaj**

**DoctorOc:** **"This one is for the boys with the booming system  
Top-down, AC with the cooler system  
When he come up in the club, he be blazin' up  
Got stacks on deck like he savin' up"**

**DoctorOc: really be hittin different when Jiwoo sings tho**


	4. You got bread?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin finds out she hates the zoo.

"Heejin?" Hyunjin called groggily, too tired to open her eyes. She was stirred out of her slumber when she heard the door open. She felt the weight of the bed shift but still kept her eyes closed attempting to fall back asleep, hoping the person would leave soon.

"Wake up," a distantly familiar voice of a woman called softly. After a few more minutes of insistence, Hyunjin finally decided to wake up. Paying no mind to the person on the bed, she walked out of the room and traveled down the stairs to the living room of Vivi and Heejin's house. She heard heavy footsteps following her down the steps, but once again, she didn't care too much.

"There you are, sleepyhead. Thought you died or something." Her mother joked but she was far too delirious to laugh or make a snarky comment. She greeted her with a quick hug and said good morning to Vivi who had been standing by the stove cooking breakfast.

"I thought so too, she wasn't moving much when I was up there." The same voice from earlier quipped in. Hyunjin sighed heavily, deciding it was time to finally figure out who was the uninvited mysterious voice that had woken her from her slumber. When she turned around she was surprised to find Yerim's teacher looking at her with an infuriatingly large grin plastered on her face. Hyunjin blinked, confused at the turn of events though, her face showed no emotion. Her aura was rather hostile as she stared down at the woman before her.

"What's she doing here?" She asked, her voice croaky from the lack of use.

"Well, honey-"

"Where's dad?" Hyunjin snapped, her head turning abruptly to face her mother. Jungeun held in a gasp, her mouth slightly ajar and eyebrows furrowed taken aback by her daughter's sudden aggression.

"He had an emergency at work, Hyun," She sighed before continuing. "I already bought the admission tickets for the zoo so I invited Jinsoul, that's okay, right?" Hyunjin's face turned into a scowl, her nose twitching ever so slightly as rage bubbled up in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm gonna go wake up Yerim and Heejin." She spoke in a low tone, turning around to walk up the stairs after shooting a glare towards the kindergarten teacher.

**. . .**

Hyunjin walked into the room that she once occupied along with Heejin and Yerim and stood in the doorway, contemplating ways to scare them awake. She supposed their terrified screeching would lift her out of her dumpy mood. She looked over to the floor where Yerim sat hugging Heejin, forgetting about the toy their mother had painstakingly shoved in her bag. At some point in the night Hyunjin pushed them off Heejin's bed hoping to get a rise out of one of them but they barely woke up. They _did_ spend all night watching Naruto reruns as per Heejin's request.

The last thing that left Hyunjin before she ran up and dove into the pair, sandwiching them underneath her, was some inspirational quote Naruto had said about not giving up that Heejin quotes daily. She laughed when she heard the pained groans and muffled whining of her two favorite companions. She smiled fondly when she felt Yerim's light smacks on her back after she rolled free from her sister's trap, leaving her and a disgruntled Heejin to go to the bathroom.

"You're gonna cut off my blood circulation." She spoke gasping for breath.

“If you don’t like the hand that fate’s dealt you with, fight for a new one.”

"Why are you quoting Naruto so much?"

"I was inspired by you!" Hyunjin said cheekily, rolling off Heejin's body causing her to toss out a few more distressed whimpers. "I need to talk to you." Hyunjin laid on her side, resting her head in her palm as she faced Heejin, remembering what she had come up here to do -- besides cruelly waking up both Heejin and her baby sister.

"What, are you gonna finally confess your love for me?" She asked jokingly, aimlessly stretching her arms over her head. Hyunjin scoffed, pushing her lightly.

"You wish!" She started. "Yerim's teacher is here..." Heejin's eyes lit up upon realization, Hyunjin rolled her eyes at her strange behavior.

"You're kidding?? Why would she be here, at _my_ house?" She looked star-struck, her face getting more flushed by the second. Hyunjin gave her a sharp glare, garnering her attention, she cleared her throat and calmed herself. "Yeah, s-so what's the issue?"

"Heej, she's a house breaker," Hyunjin said assertively, snarling in disgust at the thought of Ms. Jung.

"House breaker?"

"Yeah! I saw it on TV," She began, sitting straight up with her legs crossed. "They come into troubled families with their pretty hair and big pretty eyes and then boom!" She clapped her hands startling the shorter girl causing her to shriek quietly. "Someone cheats, and the already messed up family is in shambles _"_ After a few brief seconds of silence, Heejin's roaring laughter filled the room.

"You mean homewrecker?"

"Same damn thing!" Hyunjin huffed, she only shook her head.

"You think Dr. Kim is gonna cheat? With a _girl_ too?" Hyunjin shrugged, she hadn't grown up with any knowledge of same-sex couples but it didn't bother her since Aunt Jiwoo has introduced her to a lot of her girlfriends. She didn't get why Heejin thought it was so unbelievable that her mom could like a girl.

"Aren't you supposed to like everyone? Isn't love, like, genderless or something?" Hyunjin read that in a book once, she felt very smart when she referenced it out loud. Heejin kept quiet again giving her a kind smile.

"You're right, love is fluid. But that doesn't always mean it is for everyone." Hyunjin furrowed her eyebrows at the comment. Heejin only flicked her best friend's forehead before getting up on her feet. "You're just being paranoid Hyunjinnie. Your dad's getting busier and you can tell your mom's hurting, doesn't mean she'd go ahead and do something like that!" Hyunjin sighed and hung her head low."Your mom's a good person who loves your dad. She loves you too." She got up to on her feet and linked arms with the shorter girl.

"Maybe you're right."

"I know I'm right, Hyun."

**. . .**

After breakfast, Hyunjin's family and Jinsoul bid farewell to Vivi and Heejin. She sat in the back of her mom's black Lincoln Aviator with Yerim, waiting to get flooded with text messages from Heejin. Immediately after Jinsoul and Jungeun took their respective seats in the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle, the suspicion Hyunjin thought had dissipated in Heejin's room had flooded back in ten times harder. When her mom put her hand on the gear stick Hyunjin saw Jinsoul's hand hover over her's for a few seconds only for her to reluctantly retract it. Hyunjin's fingers clenched around her phone but when she felt it buzz underneath her palm she allowed her stress to alleviating slightly.

**. . .**

**Jin is superior**

**!!Puppy!!: SHE HUGGED MEBEHBHSBHBAH**

**Hyuneatsbread: what the-**

**!!Puppy!!: SHE HUGGED ME**

**Hyuneatsbread: marry her if you love her so much**

**!!Puppy!!: I already have**

**!!Puppy!!: in my dreams**

**!!Puppy!!: do you think she'll say yes if I ask though??**

**Hyuneatsbread: no idiot**

**!!Puppy!!: damn I guess my feelings mean nothing to you then**

**Hyuneatsbread: to be honest she's probably secretly engaged to my mom**

**!!Puppy!!: ugh did we not talk about this?**

**Hyuneatsbread: you haven't seen what I've seen**

**Hyuneatsbread: they're c a n o o d l i n g**

**SwEeTpOtAtOE: am I missing something**

**Hyuneatsbread: Hey Ryujin**

**!!Puppy!!: just Hyunjin being delusional**

**Hyuneatsbread: AM NOT**

**. . .**

"You guys excited for the zoo?" Jinsoul asked, turning her body in her seat to face them. Hyunjin rolled her eyes and scoffed but Yerim clapped and let out a gleeful squeal.

"Ms. Jung can you sing that song you sang last class!" Yerim asked excitedly, kicking her feet in the air.

"Oh my gosh, you sing too?" Hyunjin sneered to herself, getting more aggravated at how perfect _thee_ _Jung Jinsoul_ seemed to get as time went by.

"Honey, we're almost there! She can sing when we're walking around alright princess?" Hyunjin's mom spoke pulling up to the driveway of the zoo. Yerim huffed, pouting cutely. Hyunjin poked her cheek making her squirm in her car seat. 

"Such a crybaby-"

"Hyunjin, don't start today," Jungeun said sternly. Hyunjin blew her a mental raspberry, not wanting to piss her off any further. Now sitting right in her seat, the kindergarten teacher began humming a peaceful song. Hyunjin looked over to her younger sibling watching her smile excitedly as she mumbled the lyrics to the tune, kicking her feet happily. Hyunjin hated how much her heart warmed at the sight. Her mom must've seen it in the rearview mirror too considering how wide the reflection of her smile was in the rearview mirror.

"We're here!" Jinsoul squealed, seemingly more excited than Yerim had just been moments ago. As soon as Jungeun found parking Jinsoul had escaped her seat and left to unbuckle Yerim's car seat, excitedly taking her in her arms. Hyunjin's sister gladly latched on to the teacher's neck squealing with her when they saw the large stylized sign that read 'Seol Grand Park'. Hyunjin heard her mom's roaring laughter when the two ran off to the entrance of the zoo, it irked her that it sounded a little different than usual. It was boisterous and big, unlike the small chuckles she would hear whenever her dad would make a lame joke during dinner (when he still came home for dinner).

**. . .**

After an hour or so they visited quite a few of the exhibits, Jungeun suggested they take pictures with the flowers and trees, and then after they could get lunch. "Huddle up girls! I'm sending these to Auntie Jiwoo so smile wide!" She called behind her phone. Jinsoul squatted down to meet Yerim's height wrapping her left arm around her shoulders to bring her closer. Hyunjin gave the camera a cold look while the other two smiled brightly. At some point, Jinsoul had attempted to hug Hyunjin but she glared at her and the perplexed teacher was quick to retract her arm.

"I think that's enough Jungeun, the kids are probably hungry." She said a little awkwardly, getting up from the ground.

"Mommy, I need to go number one!!" Yerim whined with a pout, yanking at her mother's arm as she jumped up and down urgently.

"Soul, you mind staying here with Hyunjin?" She gave her a thumbs up and Jungeun took it as her queue to leave with an antsy Yerim in her arms. Hyunjin took in her surroundings, the zoo was pretty packed since it was nice out, kids were laughing and the air smelled of animal feces, fair food, and flowers. She looked to her side and met the gaze of Ms. Jung who was staring at her with her brows furrowed.

"You don't like me very much, do you?" She asked, giving Hyunjin a nervous smile.

"No, not at all." She smiled back fakely, returning her gaze to the bustling crowds.

"Did I do something wrong-"

"I know what you're trying to do Jung Jinsoul." She snapped, facing the teacher once again. She flinched slightly in response, but her smile returned.

"Care to explain?" She spoke in a perplexed tone. Hyunjin rolled my eyes and scoffed.

"Don't play dumb Ms. Jung," Hyunjin started. "You left my mom in the dust for a few years then randomly show up with your beautiful face and perfect personality when her marriage is on the verge of failing!" Jinsoul blinked for a few moments, but soon the squeals and yells of children were drowned out by her boisterous laugh. She doubled over gasping for breath, holding on to Hyunjin's shoulder for support. She pushed it off boiling with anger as she watched Jinsoul continue to laugh.

"You're a funny kid, Hyunjin." She said in between chuckles wiping away tears. Before Hyunjin could say anything else, she started to talk again. "Your mom tells me you like bread," Hyunjin blinked, unsure where the raven-haired woman was going with this. "There's this bakery by my apartment and I picked up a few choices since I don't know what you like." She smiled reaching for her backpack. It was Hyunjin's turn to give her a confused look. Lo and behold, she handed the young girl a large box filled with what she assumed was bread. She opened it up and was hit with a wave of enchanting smells. Hyunjin was tempted to just eat the whole box right then and there but she held herself together.

"How dare you bribe me, Ms. Jung!" Hyunjin spoke loudly, getting a few heads to turn and look their way. She reluctantly pushed the box in Jinsoul's arms and crossed them in disgust.

"Okay...? Guess we'll just eat these during lunch, then!" She shrugged. "Please call me anything but Ms. Jung, I'm not your teacher, Hyunjin."

"How about seducer-"

"What's going on?" Hyunjin heard her mother speak up, she gulped, afraid Jungeun had heard their conversation. She walked over to the both of them with Yerim in her arms.

"I was just giving Hyunjin the stuff we got from the bakery this morning." Jinsoul piped up, earning a smile from the other woman. She handed Hyunjin the box and ruffled up her hair a bit, she didn't glare at her this time knowing her mother was watching.

"Did you say thank you, Hyun?" Her mother asked expectantly. She muttered a thank you and gave Jinsoul the nicest fake smile she could muster.

**. . .**

They sat together eating their sandwiches on a bench they had found outside of a concession stand. Hyunjin's sister sat on her lap happily playing with her toys as she ate her food. The adults on the other side of the table were chatting animatedly about something she didn't care much about. It was kind of chilly and Hyunjin noticed her mother was beginning to shiver. She was about to berate her about wearing a coat like the caring daughter she was but our favorite coy kindergarten teacher had other plans. "Are you cold, why didn't you wear a jacket?" Jinsoul chided before taking off her own jacket and wrapping it around Jungeun's shoulders. The action startled her, she gasped softly only to shoot the older woman a shy smile. Hyunjin rolled her eyes fighting the urge to audibly retch.

"Thanks..." Jungeun chuckled a bit, a blush now visible on her cheeks. Yerim turned to her sister noticing her gloomy expression, her bottom lip jutted out as she looked at Hyunjin worriedly.

"What?" Hyunjin asked her softly, trying to hide her growing anger.

"You look really mad," Yerim answered as she inched off her lap and onto her proper seat.

"Hyun, is something going on? You've been off all day." Jungeun spoke, Hyunjin bit her tongue not wanting to say the wrong thing.

Jinsoul looked at her knowingly. "She's a big girl now, she probably doesn't wanna be at some lame zoo!"

"But she loves the zoo," Jungeun said softly shrugging off the kindergarten teacher's attempt to deflect the topic. "Honey, I can't fix things if you don't tell me what's up." 

"Do you love dad?" Hyunjin suddenly asked her voice cracking slightly, her mother's eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course, I do." Her response sounded robotic and practiced, Hyunjin felt her stomach begin to hurt.

"Do you love him?" She asked again, her voice rising in the slightest. The surgeon looked at her daughter, her eyes filled with concern and confusion but she said nothing. Hyunjin glared at her, getting up from her seat quickly before she walked off ignoring the concerned calls of her mother. Soon walking became running, and she doesn't remember when but she started crying. At this point, Hyunjin had gone far enough from the concession stand to be oblivious to where she was. There was a group of kids that looked about her age looking at the tiger exhibit, she stood with them staring at the large wild cat trying to regain her composure. She pulled out her phone and called the only person she could think of.

 _"What's up playa?"_ Hyunjin giggled at the familiar voice, though it sounded chocked and croaky. _"Woah, are you crying! Badasses don't cry what the hell, Hyun?"_ Heejin's worried voice rung out from the other end of the line.

"She doesn't love him." Hyunjin's voice trembled.

_"This again?"_

"You don't get it, she never did." Heejin went silent for a moment.

_"I'm so sorry."_

Hyunjin shook her head sadly. "Whenever my dad is around they're always fighting. Maybe my dad has been working a lot purposefully? What if they're already divorced?" A bunch of questions popped up in her head all at once and she couldn't help but voice them out loud.

_"Look Hyunjin, I don't know what I gotta say to make you feel better right now," Heejin started. "All I know is that you love your mom right? You want her to be happy?"_

"Yeah..."

_"If that means getting a divorce or maybe even being with Ms. Jung or some new person you have to respect that choice."_

"I don't know if I can do that-"

"Hyunjin!" The young girl froze in place, she heard Heejin call for her a few times distantly through the phone but she dropped the call immediately after hearing Jinsoul's voice. "Jesus, you're fast, aren't you just a goalie or something? Wait, do goalies run too?" Hyunjin turned around to face Ms. Jung, she was hunched over, using her knees to support her, heaving for breath.

"This is your fault!" She spat, Hyunjin knew it wasn't but she was angry and needed someone to blame. The kindergarten teacher only gave her a toothy grin. She collected herself and stood up straight before her face turned serious.

"Look Hyunjin, I like you, I think you're a great kid but that was beyond stupid of you." She scolded, worry written all over her face. Hyunjin scoffed in offense but Jinsoul continued anyway, a kind smile gracing her features as she did so. "Whatever problems you have with me that's your business but running off like that, _are you kidding me_?" She crossed her arms in disappointment. "You scared your mom shitless! Hell, your sister started crying." Hyunjin grimaced at the last part.

"I didn't want you guys to see me cry." She huffed angrily with her arms crossed, feeling her eyes well up and a lump beginning to form in her throat as she avoided the teacher's gaze. Jinsoul rolled her eyes playfully before kneeling to hug the young girl.

"You're just like your mom, you know that?" She scoffed, letting out a light chuckle as she patted the young girl's back. It was a simple gesture but Hyunjin was secretly grateful for it. She needed a good hug, even if Jinsoul was sort of the source of the problem.

"Tell anyone about this and I'll end you, Auntie Jinsoul." She threatened, though with a faint smile on her face.

"I'm terrified."

**. . .**

Hyunjin sat at the dinner table, her fingers folded together on her lap as she watched her mother wash dishes. With a long exaggerated sigh, Jungeun turned off the water and wiped her hands on her pink apron as she turned to face her daughter.

"So what's this about your father?" She finally spoke, casually setting her hand on her hip as she waited for Hyunjin to explain herself.

"Well, it's nothing really."

"So, you ran away for nothing then?" Hyunjin groaned rolling her eyes, knowing full well she wasn't getting out of this without a proper explanation.

"Can we maybe make a raincheck, I have school tomorrow-"

"Hyunjin." Her mother warned, the young girl only pouted propping her chin in her elbow with a huff. With another deep sigh, Jungeun finally cracked not entirely sure if she wanted to hear her daughter's explanation anyway. "Fine, go upstairs, but I want to see you in bed and asleep when I get up there, you hear?"

"Si señor!" Hyunjin said gleefully, just barely hearing her mother telling her they'd talk about it tomorrow as she dashed up the stairs. Just like she suspected, another body was already shuffling around under her favorite yellow cat sheets. With a content hum, Hyunjin walked over to her window and closed it carefully, not wanting to make any ruckus with Yerim in the next room. When she turned around, Heejin was there looking at her with a cheeky grin.

"I think I killed your mom's tulips accidentally on the way up..." Heejin whispered, Hyunjin only shook her head.

"They're my dad's." She whispered back. Heejin opened up her arms chuckling and without a second thought, Hyunjin walked over. The smaller girl stopped herself from groaning audibly when Hyunjin dramatically rolled over her, instead of reacting with a few light hits on the shoulder. The two looked at each other, now comfortable in the sheets, with large smiles on their faces. Heejin had snuck out of the house only once before but today she thought she should be here for her best friend. Even if it did mean she'd have to wake up early the next morning just to sneak back in. Luckily for her, Hyunjin had predicted what Heejin was going to do and had left the window wide open for her before dinner time.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Heejin asked, looking reluctant. She was clearly unsure how to go about comforting Hyunjin.

"Can we talk about _anything_ else? I already have to get a lecture tomorrow from my mom." Hyunjin grumbled, after a moment of contemplation Hyunjin's eyes lit up. "Are you ready for the game this week?" Heejin gave her a questioning glance.

"Kim Hyunjin? Are you...deflecting? To me!" She exclaimed, offense written all over her face. Hyunjin was quick to cover her mouth, shushing her aggressively after the outburst. Heejin retaliated by sticking her tongue out and just like that Hyunjin retracted her hand recoiling in disgust. "What, are you doing cone exercises with someone else? Are you cheating on me? Is it Ryujin?" Hyunjin snorted, attempting and failing to hold in the loud laughs threatening to escape her.

" _God_ , you're so dumb." Hyunjin wheezed, wiping tears from her eyes.

"There's no other explanation, why else would you refuse to talk to me about this."

"What if there's nothing to talk about?"

"There's always something to talk about," Heejin claimed with full certainty, looking prideful in her answer. Hyunjin snorted again wrapping the smaller girl in a hug, glad she had someone like Heejin to brighten up her mood when she felt down. Slightly shocked by the sudden affection Heejin stiffened under her touch but soon relaxed reciprocating the embrace. Not wanting the atmosphere to get too sentimental, Hyunjin pinched the back of Heejin's arm rather hard causing her to reel back wincing in pain. Hyunjin laughed again, apologizing profusely when the girl glared at her with glistening eyes.

"You won't leave me, right? Not until I say you can."

"Unfortunately, it's not an option."

**. . .**

**Girl's Only Family GC**

**ChuuChuu: SEND ME THE PHOTOS OR I WILL BREAK ALL YOUR BONES KIM JUNGEUN**

**AuntieJinsoul: she's got a black belt**

**Hyuneatsbread: who invited her??**

**ChuuChuu: aw new name?**

**AuntieJinsoul: yes, I'm very proud of it.**

**DoctorOc:** **Jiwoo, we say please in this family**

**AuntieJinsoul: what alarms me is that you were totally unaffected by that threat**

**Hyuneatsbread: you get thrown a few times and it stops meaning anything**

**AuntieJinsoul: ...oh?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slams hands on table* UPDATE SCHEDULE?? DID YOU JUST SAY UPDATE SCHEDULE???? Well, lookie here buckaroo, THERE ISN'T ONE. I have ten chapters written already. TEN. OUT OF TWENTY...So, like, you're just gonna get one to two a day till I run out of chapters to post for suspense purposes. Think of it as a little treat before you get a whole lot of drought cause I write like a turtle and have no motivation for anything. Today it's two cause one of these isn't as important when it comes to setting up the story as the other. Anyway, that's all I had to say. Hope you had a good read!!  
> twt: heekkiesdyke  
> cc: kimlipdyke


	5. And they were Room mates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haseul tells Jinsoul about her day. Jinsoul tells her a little more.

Weekends used to be stupid boring when Haseul didn't have Chaewon or her sister to take care of. After Haseul's mother had died of breast cancer, her sister tested positive for the BRCA gene and slowly developed symptoms of the disease herself. Instead of freezing her eggs and starting treatment right away, she decided to have Chaewon through IVF. Her sister was too enraptured at the prospect of becoming a mother and ignored the warning signs and went through with becoming pregnant, this caused her condition to worsen and soon lead to her hospitalization. Now during weekends, Haseul spends time with Chaewon at the hospital with her mom. Chaewon is a smart kid, but she's far too young to understand the severity of her mother's condition, she knows the clock is ticking but Haseul's unsure how to tell the six-year-old.

"Did you take your medicine, Heeyoung?" Haseul spoke softly, picking up the toys Chaewon had left scattered on the floor. Her father picked up Chaewon a few hours ago, they were going to get ice cream together while Haseul talked with her sister.

"Why does it matter?" Heeyoung gave her a pained smile.

"Don't be like that-"

"I'm serious Haseul, I'm not getting better," Heeyoung sighed. "I'm just glad she has you and dad." Haseul didn't respond knowing she would never win if she did. Heeyoung was always like that, she was always right even if she was wrong (which was rarely), Haseul despised it but she figured it would be the part about her she would miss the most.

"About Chaewon, a friend of mine gave me a suggestion for someone who deals with this kind of stuff." As of now, Chaewon was set to be put into the foster care system when Heeyoung died. Even if Heeyoung said in her will that Chaewon would be under my care there was still a lot of legal paperwork to be done, especially since Haseul wasn't married and her yearly salary wasn't exactly the highest it could be.

"A friend? You never mentioned anything about a friend?"

"This is not what we came here to talk about." Heeyoung rolled her eyes at her younger sister and swatted away her response.

"If you trust them, I trust them alright? Now tell me about this friend of yours." Haseul shook her head and laughed putting the toys away in Chaewon's backpack. She took a seat next to her sister's bed and sighed.

"It's nothing like that alright? I'm not- I don't have anybody yet." Haseul blushed a bit at the thought of having someone by her side, but she shook it off.

"Haseul! You're the prettiest girl I know, your crazy if you think nobody wants you!" Heeyoung yelled, shaking her shoulders as harshly as she could in her weak state. Haseul pushed off her arms and carefully put them at her sides again before tucking her into bed correctly."I bet if you asked, there'd be lines of people just _waiting_ to kiss you." Haseul scoffed rubbing her temple at how insistent her sister was. Heeyoung smiled brightly at her, and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Like I don't know," Haseul spoke feigning confidence, dusting off her shoulders with swag. Heeyoung blew her a raspberry and laughed. "But thank you for your concern, I suppose.

"I'm serious Haseul, you can't just be alone your whole life. Especially with Chaewon, being a single mother is going to be hard."

"You didn't think twice when you had her though." Haseul snapped getting frustrated with her sister's insistence, Heeyoung's look softened as she put a hand over her sister's.

"I can't say I regret it either but that was different and you know it." Haseul sighed in defeat like always there was no use arguing with her sister. "You're always too busy taking care of everybody else you forget about yourself Haseul. I'm just throwing ideas out there you know?"

**. . .**

Chaewon sat idly by the tv with her favorite stuffed animal sitting on her lap, waiting for her grandfather to return from the convenience store. Haseul watched her in admiration as she often found herself doing. Although Chaewon had an imaginative mind she was calmer than most kids. She'd say she was the most mature six-year-old she's ever met even if she was a little bratty. Haseul walked over to the blonde girl and sat next to her, her eyes not leaving the tv despite the sofa dipping under her. Haseul was glad for it though, the last thing I wanted to see was her eyes right now. "Chaewon?" Haseul called softly, the little girl hummed in response still focused on the tv show. "Do you know what dying means?" She continued, Chaewon's head snapped in her aunt's direction, it was her turn to keep her eyes on the TV. Bubble Guppies seemed pretty interesting right about now.

"It's what happens to people after they lived enough, they go away from everyone for a long time." Haseul smiled at her response, proud of how smart Chaewon was. She explained it better than she could, but she doesn't think there's one right way to explain death to a child.

"Your mommy loves you, you know that? She wouldn't leave you if she had the choice." Haseul felt her voice tremble and her throat start to constrict but she promised herself she wouldn't cry in front of the child. She couldn't see Chaewon's expression but she knew she was looking at her and nothing else. "She's hurting Wonnie, and the only way she can get better is if we let her leave." Chaewon's small arms found their way around her aunt's arm hugging it tightly. The stuffed animal she had, completely forgotten on the floor.

"If she leaves then she'll feel better and then one day we'll get to see each other again, right! Don't be sad, she loves you too and when we get to see her I'll be right next to you with Yeojin, and Hyejoo, and Yerim, and Ms. Kim, and Ms. Jung! Everyone!" Tears began streaming down Haseul's face now but she laughed through her sobs. She was in shock that Chaewon was the one comforting her rather than the other way around and ironically she felt so child-like compared to the little girl.

"Who's making my favorite girls cry?" Haseul's father remarked, his booming voice echoed through the living room. He set down the plastic bags in his hands and sat on the sofa with the two, wrapping his strong arms around the both of them.

"Auntie's sad because mommy's going away!" Chaewon said burying her head in Haseul's side. Her father stayed silent for a few seconds before his full hardy laugh rung through her ears. Haseul raised her eyebrow at him as she wiped her tears away.

"We'll see her soon, then Chaewon can meet her granny too."

"Okay, _boohoo_ , enough crying, my favorite episode of Wild Kratz is about to start."

**. . .**

Haseul sat in the homie office patiently with her legs crossed and hands on her side. After their talk, she left Chaewon to her father for the rest of the weekend and visited the lawyer Jiwoo gave her the number of. Her name was Wong Kahei, and she's been in the business for quite some time now and, thankfully for Haseul, knows more about this stuff than she did. The office was a shade of light pink, and a few pictures of the suspected lawyer and a little girl were scattered around the place. Even one with her and another girl that looked suspiciously like Jiwoo's cousin sat framed on her desk next to a few potted plants.

"Sorry, I'm late I had some family stuff to deal with!" A voice popped in out of nowhere, frightening her a bit. Haseul turned around and a cute brunette greeted her shyly.

"You're a lawyer?" She said abruptly, blushing when she realized she had said it out loud. The lawyer chuckled lightly, taking her rightful seat in front of her in the office chair behind the sleek wooden desk.

"What'd you think I was?" She spoke in a soft voice, Haseul coughed awkwardly realizing how incredibly beautiful the lawyer was up close and in person.

"Well- uhm maybe an actress or like a model?" She scratched her nape and hid her face in her freehand trying to hide my embarrassment.

"You flatter me, Ms. Jo." The lawyer chuckled lightly once more. "I'm Kahei Wong, but I suppose since your a friend of Jiwoo's friend you can call me Vivi." Haseul removed her hand from her face and made eye contact with the woman as she nodded in response, feeling a blush creep back up on her face again. Vivi didn't say anything for a bit only keeping her mouth agape as if she'd been frozen mid-sentence. Haseul raised her eyebrow at her behavior and she cleared her throat, picking up a file in front of her and began to speak once more. "Uh- so it says here your looking to adopt your sister's daughter, Chaewon?" Haseul nodded, she shot her another blinding smile."She's a beautiful kid."

"Thanks," the music teacher muttered smiling back at her. She fiddled with her fingers trying to organize her thoughts before she continued to speak. "I don't know how any of this stuff works, but I'm afraid the judge might take into account my salary and my uhm- singleness?" She said rather awkwardly than intended, kind of embarrassed about disclosing her issues with somebody she barely knew.

"Well, you _are_ right about that." Vivi frowned, looking down at her notepad once more before returning her eyes to her client. "Have you ever thought about getting another job? It says here you have a master's in business, but you're a music teacher." Vivi furrowed her brows, giving Haseul a perplexed look.

"Yeah, I do! I was supposed to run my dad's cafe after college but I became a music teacher. I'd never think about quitting my job, teaching music is my passion." She explained excitedly. "But I do suppose it's time I ask for a raise." The lawyer chuckled at that last part and gave Haseul a reassuring smile.

"Well you've been taking care of her for a while now, and successfully, so this shouldn't be too hard," She began putting away the files and getting up from her chair. "I'll call you to schedule something with you two." Haseul smiled up at her and got up herself, Vivi outstretched her hand and Haseul shook it firmly giving the older woman a smile of her own.

"Nice to meet you, Vivi." 

"Same to you Haseul." She didn't let go of Haseul's hand, instead gave her a contemplative look before grinning at her once more. "We should get a drink sometime." Haseul blinked, looking at her quizzically. "Uh- with Jiwoo, I meant!" She laughed but it sounded a bit forced. The teacher nodded, letting go of her hand. Giving her a final goodbye, she walked out of the woman's office and shut the door. After walking away Haseul swore she heard a loud howl coming from the office but assumed it was from the lack of sleep.

**. . .**

**Les Be Teachers + Sooyoung**

**AuntieJinsoul: somebody care to tell me why Sooyoung won't pick up my calls?**

**AdultYeojin: somebody care to tell me why your name is suddenly 'AuntieJinsoul'?**

**AuntieJinsoul: I changed it!**

**AdultYeojin: you can do that??**

**ChuuChuu: What the hell do you want Jinsoul?**

**AuntieJinsoul: .......mA JIWOO'S BEING MEAN**

**AdultYeojin: who the hell hurt you-**

**ChuuChuu: It's Sooyoung.**

**AdultYeojin: I should've known from the capitalized letters...**

**AuntieJinsoul: what are you doing on Jiwoo's phone?**

**ChuuChuu: My phone is kinda wet**

**AuntieJinsoul: wanky**

**AdultYeojin: ew-**

**ChuuChuu: NO**

**ChuuChuu: Tell me what you want**

**AuntieJinsoul: I can't do that here too many eyes fam**

**ChuuChuu: call me then**

**AuntieJinsoul: ever heard of fbi agents? Come over!!**

**ChuuChuu: Unless you want Jiwoo over too I can't do that**

**ChuuChuu: Aren't you with Jungeun and her kids anyway??**

**AuntieJinsoul: that was like at 12 it's 12:30 now**

**AdultYeojin: ...**

**AuntieJinsoul: Haseul where are you I'm picking you up!!**

**AdultYeojin: what?**

**AuntieJinsoul: oh wait your location is on nevermind**

**AdultYeojin: WHAT??**

**. . .**

"I abducted you, how do you feel?" Jinsoul giggled clapping her hands in delight. She sat across from Haseul on the floor of her quaint little living room. It was true, she did technically abduct her, but it's not like she put up a fight it was Jinsoul after all. After she walked out of the law firm building Jinsoul was already waiting for her smiling mischievously, instead of letting her in the car like a normal person, she picked her up bridal style and pushed her into the backseat of her jacked up 2008 Prius and drove off. It was very dramatic on her part, she even played the John Wick soundtrack on the way to her apartment. But Haseul didn't mind too much since she didn't have to take a bus and when they got to Jinsoul's apartment she made her a bowl of Cocoa Puffs to compensate.

"I feel the same. Maybe less hungry?" Haseul said, still crunching on her cereal. Jinsoul scrunched her nose and pouted cutely, earning a chuckle from the woman. "What's up with you, Ms. Jung?"

"Can't tell you." She said softly, smiling at her. Haseul's known Jinsoul for about a week now but she somehow knew the substitute would become important to her in the future. She reminded her a lot of her sister, with her weird personality and bubbly _imaginative_ outlook on life. "How about you, Haseul? How did your day go? What were you doing meeting with a lawyer?"

"Can't tell you...yet," Haseul added. Jinsoul furrowed her eyebrows at her but didn't press on. "I _will_ , however, tell you how my day went."

"Do tell, Ms. Jo." Haseul chuckled at the way her eyebrows slanted when she was focused, reminding her of a cartoon character, Jinsoul laughed with her pushing her lightly. "Just talk Haseul."

"Well, I went to the doctor, then visited my sister and took Chaewon to my dad's house-"

"How is little Napolean?" Jinsoul interrupted, moving closer to jer seeming completely invested in whatever she was saying.

"You need to pick a dictator Jinsoul, I don't think you know enough to keep going with this joke." She scoffed in faux offense. "She's good I think, she loves being with her pops during the weekend you know?" Haseul smiled fondly at the thought of my father and Chaewon, Jinsoul smiled as well. "But anyway I met this pretty lawyer-"

"Pretty lawyer?"

"Yes, pretty lawyer. She was kinda weird though, she was a little awkward in the beginning and then I'm pretty sure she tried to ask me on a date, but then...didn't?" Haseul finished her bowl of cereal and put it down beside her.

"Pretty lawyer asked you on a date, then didn't, and you didn't ask _her_ on one?" Jinsoul shook her head at Haseul, shoving her shoulder a bit, she rolled her eyes in response.

"Pretty lawyer isn't exactly my type." She explained. Jinsoul stayed quiet for a few seconds, the playful smile on her face faltering. Her eyes darkened and Haseul coughed awkwardly at the sudden tension. She couldn't quite read her expression but it soon went away as quickly as it came.

"What is your type?" The question was sudden but either way, Haseul couldn't answer since she's never thought about it. She looked at Jinsoul's eyes again, they were bright and sparkling. She hesitated a bit before she answered, thinking hard about what she was going to say next.

"maybe y-"

"I'm bored, wanna go to the arcade?" Haseul blinked not expecting to be cut off so quickly, Jinsoul sat patiently waiting for her response.

"Y-yeah sure." She stuttered, taking a deep breath, glad Jinsoul had interrupted her before she said something she would've regretted. Would she regret it though? Haseul thought back on her sister's words back at the hospital. She wondered if it could be Jinsoul for a few seconds but rid those thoughts immediately. She barely knew Jinsoul anyway.

**. . .**

Even though Jinsoul's apartment building was shady looking, and frankly most likely being held up by termites, it was in the middle of the city and was walking distance from a bunch of fun things. Like the arcade for example, which Haseul's never really visited before since it wasn't her thing. Though she would have to come to visit here more with Chaewon and her gang. "Swoosh!" Jinsoul said confidently, _missing_ her twentieth try at the basketball game the arcade had. Haseul laughed, rolling her eyes as she snatched the ball from her trying to shoot it herself.

"I don't think you know what that means, Honey." 

"Judging from that missed shot, I don't think you do either... _Honey_." Jinsoul smirked at her, wrapping her arm around the older woman's shoulders. They had been there for a couple of hours and Haseul was getting a bit loopy from the exhaustion."You having fun, loser?"

"So much." She breathed and blinked away her drowsiness as she took her hand pulling her away to another game, it was Pacman. Haseul quickly knelt to put the tokens in and began playing, Jinsoul watched fascinated from the side. She smirked as Jinsoul watched her beat high score after high score. "Growing up my sister and I would play this all the time," In her peripheral vision, she could see Jinsoul nod, still very captivated by the colorful game. Haseul furrowed her eyebrows and thought about her next words. "Jinsoul," she called softly, Jinsoul's eyes went directly to her but the Pacman screen didn't leave Haseul's sight. "I was at the law firm because I want to adopt Chaewon."

"Should I ask why or not yet?" She spoke, Haseul felt her hand rest on the small of her back as if wordlessly telling her she was there for her.

"Because her mom, my sister, has breast cancer and the doctors don't think she's going to live much longer." Haseul breathed out. She didn't cry or breakdown when she finally said it out loud. It was almost like she had come to terms with her sister's death, not unlike Heeyoung herself, and it irked her in the slightest bit. Jinsoul didn't say anything more, she didn't try to keep the conversation going, only sliding both her arms around her waist and silently refocusing her attention to the game. "Do you want a turn?" Haseul asked turning my head to face the substitute. She shook her head and pouted when the machine began to chant 'you lose' over and over again.

"I might hurt your pride." Jinsoul boasted, Haseul glared at her but she only gave her a goofy grin.

"Well, I lost so what do you want to do now?" Haseul turned fully now, leaning her back against the arcade game. Jinsoul's arms didn't leave her waist and she tried to not let it affect her when she realized how close their faces were. It wasn't hard to tell Jinsoul was doing this on purpose when that stupid roguish smirk of hers played on her lips.

"If I win you something from the claw machine would you go out with me sometime?"

"And if you don't?" Haseul teased hoping to get a reaction out of her.

"Then you still have to consider it, I tried!" Jinsoul groaned pouting at the thought of her efforts failing. Haseul laughed at her furrowing her eyebrows.

"Why do you want to go on a date with me so badly? Was it the sob story?" She chuckled at Jinsoul's nonsense. "I could be a serial killer for all you know." Jinsoul only pulled her closer.

" _So,_ even if you killed me now I'd probably still think you're an amazing person! You're, like, super cool and don't tell anyone but I admire you more than I do myself -- I know it's hard to believe." She was looking kind of desperate now and Haseul couldn't help but laugh when she saw the tall girl's eyes look anywhere but her own and how her face was getting redder and redder as she continued to talk. "I just think we can learn from each other, and we can do that as friends too if you want I'll respect your boundaries, but I think you should know I was kind of thinking about kissing you this entire day." Haseul's breath hitched when Jinsoul moved her face closer to hers but she didn't discourage it. Her eyes traveled to her lips and she couldn't seem to move them away, Jinsoul's hold on her tightened. They were so close she could probably feel the other woman's heartbeat against her chest. Haseul didn't know if she liked Jinsoul, friend or not, or if pretty girls just made her nervous but her offer was looking pretty convincing right now.

Jinsoul's lips were on hers and it was the most emotionally conflicting moment of her life. That had to be good right? Haseul reciprocated the kiss despite all the questions floating about in her head. After a moment or so they parted from each other and she was met, once again, with Jinsoul's signature dopey smile. Haseul rolled her eyes and pushed the woman off her before she got any more ideas. "Should I take that as a yes?" She said, nervously fiddling with her -- now free fingers. 

"I don't know what's going through your head, Jung Jinsol, but yes you should."

**. . .**

**Gang Gang Gang**

**Jinsouliscute: I didn't agree with this**

**AuntieJinsoul: am I lying tho??**

**Jinsouliscute: yes. yes, you are.**

**AuntieJinsoul: my feelings aren't hurt**

**DoctorOc: someone once told her they didn't like her as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and she cried for a week**

**AuntieJinsoul: is it 'come for Jinsoul' day or something?**

**YvesSaintLaurent: Deserve**

**ChuuChuu: should I throw her phone in the toilet too?**

**YvesSaintLaurent: Yes**

**Jinsouliscute: I agree**

**DoctorOc: I do support**

**ChuuChuu: Vivi wants do go for drinks with us**

**AuntieJinsoul: weird pretty lawyer?**

**ChuuChuu: yes...?**

**DocotorOc: make me do karaoke again and I'll rip your throats out**

**AuntieJinsoul: sounds lovely**

**Jinsouliscute: wanky**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like causing problems haha. Also I don't know how cancer works, I did like the bare minimum research man look away please for my sake <3
> 
> twt: @heekkiesdyke  
> cc: kimlipdyke


	6. Hey little Mama Lemme Whisper in Your Ear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jiwoo and Sooyoung break up but it's a 'buy one get two' combo.
> 
> Italics: Past  
> Normal: Present

At Jiwoo's age, most people would think you should have a stable job, a less-than-decent man to call your husband, and start having those retched drooling clones. That's the socially acceptable definition of 'settling down'. Jiwoo, on the other hand, she had a great (stressful at times) job but marriage and kids weren't really what she was looking for. You see, she's got a bit of an allergy to commitment, the whole idea of falling in love seems a bit far fetched. Feelings are never permanent, they don't last forever so why would she stay with the same person forever. Her allergy was in fact so bad that not even the mysterious enchanting model from Busan, Ha Sooyoung, could cure her.

"Baby, could you pass me the syrup," Sooyoung spoke softly, loose hairs falling delicately on her face as she tied it into a ponytail. Jiwoo blinked, not registering that the beautiful woman was indeed talking to her. "Babe?" Sooyoung called again, Jiwoo coughed awkwardly shaking herself out of her trance and wordlessly gave her girlfriend the syrup. She continued to observe Sooyoung's face as she focused on her food. She drowned her pancakes in syrup and Jiwoo couldn't help but cringe when she took a giant bite out of it like it was nothing.

"Your sweet tooth is way too big." Jiwoo berated grabbing the bottle before she assaulted the pancakes anymore. Sooyoung looked up from her plate with her cheeks full and gave her a shy smile. Jiwoo looked at her with adoration in her eyes as she wiped the crumbs off the corner of her lips but before she could pull away Sooyoung kissed the tip of her thumb. Jiwoo grimaced when she saw the sticky substance she left behind and smacked her playfully.

"Wasn't my sweet tooth the reason we met though?" Jiwoo hummed in response reminiscing the fateful day two years ago in the shabby little convenience store not too far from Sooyoung's apartment. Trying to understand how Ha Sooyoung could not only be perfect for her but also farthest from that was taxing and she quickly shunned the thoughts out of her head. Spending time with her now was good enough for the time being.

"I'm sorry," Jiwoo spoke quietly, not intending for Sooyoung to hear.

"I told you it's cool! It's not your fault it fell in the toilet. Plus the only other person who contacts me beside you is Jinsoul." Sooyoung laughed, Jiwoo laughed with her trying to hide the true reason for her apology. It was her fault, the taller girl was just so blindly in love with the teacher she justified everything she did. Sooyoung happened to be the only girl to ever make Jiwoo feel like some innocent schoolgirl whenever she looked at her with her honeyed eyes. She was beyond perfect, she was smart, funny, and words could never describe her beauty. Her only true flaw in Jiwoo's eyes was her dependency and need for her, and her naive ideology that love lasts forever. "You drive me insane but I've gotten used to it by now." Jiwoo scoffed at the remark, kicking her leg under the table. 

"So I've been told." She said as she got up from her seat collecting her empty plate and began washing the dishes. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, Jiwoo rolled her eyes swatting Sooyoung away. "Don't you have a plate of sugar to digest?"

"Don't you have to be nice to me since my flight leaves tomorrow morning?"

"No." Jiwo deadpanned. She heard Sooyoung groan in frustration stomping off to the table she had come from. "What's wrong with you this time?" She sighed, drying her hands and turning around to face her. Sooyoung's lips pursed, she took a long sip of her orange juice before folding her arms across her chest.

"Could ask you the same," She spoke dryly.

"So I'm the problem then?" Jiwoo joked trying to lift the mood. Sooyoung looked unamused, her arms still crossed looking at the teacher expectantly. Jiwoo clicked her tongue in annoyance averting her gaze.

"Sometime's I wonder..." She trailed off.

"What?" Sooyoung stayed quiet for a moment, getting up from her seat and walking towards the door. She turned around and looked at her with a dull lifeless expression.

"I already know where this is going," She began, looking bored. "I'll be home packing if you wanna decide to be mature again." Jiwoo laughed sarcastically applauding to spite the older girl.

"New record, you didn't even finish your pancakes this time!" Jiwoo called, as she walked out the door into the halls of the apartment complex.

"Gotta watch my figure!"

**. . .**

_The first time Jiwoo met Sooyoung her first impression of her hadn't been the best. It was her first week at the charter school and the exhaustion was obviously getting to her since she forgot her lunch at home. She walked to a nearby convenience store hoping to find something to satisfy her needs but instead was met with the infamous model. She looked like a teenage delinquent wearing a grey hoodie and sweat pants ensemble that looked like it was three sizes too big and a white bucket hat that covered half her face. Her white shoes reflecting on the glass refrigerator door as she nearly emptied the aisle of its chocolate ice cream. Their eyes met for a few seconds, Jiwoo recognized her from a few tabloids and magazines but paid no mind since seeing models and actresses around this area wasn't too uncommon. On a normal day, she would've asked for her number but there was a room filled with obnoxious nine-year-olds that she had to take care of till three waiting for her, so that wasn't exactly the priority for once._

_She walked around the small store for a few minutes searching for something that piqued her interest but everywhere she went the tall girl followed. Jiwoo didn't pay any mind to it, passing it off as her just looking for something to eat just as she was. After her failed search in the chip aisle, she decided to head to the ice cream aisle thinking maybe something sweet rather than savory might calm her stomach. She looked to her right to find that the cute girl was still there, looking around absent-mindedly. Jiwoo found this suspicious since the girl's arms were already chock-full of ice cream. She walked back to the chip aisle to test her theory, and not even a minute later there she was again. Jiwoo walked over to the girl who was currently examining a bag of Frito-lays like they were an alien species. "You." The girl turned her head in her direction, her eyes went wide for a moment, she coughed awkwardly returning her gaze to the bag of chips._

_"H-hi." Jiwoo rolled her eyes, scoffing at her awkwardness. She looked around the empty convenience store trying to see if there was anybody else that Jiwoo could be talking to. Mind you the only people occupying the store were them and the guy picking his nose behind the cash register._

_"Why are you following me?"_

_"What-"_

_"Look, you're super cute or whatever but I'm not really into socially inept girls. Especially, socially inept girls that follow me around." Jiwoo sneered, her face went red as she stuttered out some incoherent sentences forcing Jiwoo to stifle her laughter. The girl's visuals were striking and elegant, upon first glance you might think this girl was intimidating, it was funny to think it only took a few seconds to turn her into a babbling mess. The teacher looked at her watch and sighed, she only had twenty more minutes left of her lunch period. She gave the flustered girl a threatening stare as she grabbed one of the pints of ice cream she was balancing in her hands. She blew a kiss in her direction before turning around to pay, leaving the girl in the aisle with her mouth agape._

_Just before Jiwoo could reach the checkout area, she felt a hand grab her wrist. She turned around, a little mad her lunchtime was being wasted, and lo and behold it was non-other than the stuttering tall girl. Jiwoo huffed, yanking her wrist from the taller woman's hold. She didn't leave just yet though -- instead, she stood in front of the flustered girl waiting for her to say something. "Let me pay for it." She said giving Jiwoo a small shy smile._

_"I can pay for things on my own-"_

_"I'll pay for it then you can have it all. You look stressed so you probably need it more than I do." She chuckled a blush returning to her cheeks. Jiwoo rolled her eyes, setting down the tub on the counter before grabbing the tower that was somehow balancing on it's own in the girl's one hand. Soon enough, her small smile grew into a charming toothy grin._

_"Pay, before I change my mind." Jiwoo cleared her throat suppressing her own smile, finding the taller woman endearing. She giggled happily handing the money to the unsuspecting worker. He bagged it lazily and handed the change back to her, she turned around and handed Jiwoo the bag. Apparently, her mission wasn't done because she followed the teacher out of the store and walked alongside her with her hands in her pockets._

_"I'm Ha Sooyoung by the way." Jiwoo hummed in response, too busy trying to get back to the school before the lunch bell rang to care to respond. "So, are you gonna eat all that by yourself?" Jiwoo clicked her tongue getting a bit fed up with the woman's persistence._

_"If I won't, my students will."_

_"So you're a teacher, that's why you looked familiar." She spoke softly._

_"Do you spy on children in your free time or something?" Jiwoo joked, a teasing smile starting to play on her lips._

_"What? No! I-I don't follow people around or anything, I-I swear." The girl stuttered her confidence vanishing as she soon became flustered again._

_"Am I an exception to that claim?" Jiwoo continued to tease trying to rile the taller girl -- Sooyoung up. She gave her another shy smile her face looking as if she'd just eaten something extra spicy._

_"I'm sorry about that by the way," Sooyoung placed her hand on her nape, pursing her lips and furrowing her eyebrows as if deep in thought. "Usually I'm good at this kind of stuff." She said under her breath, Jiwoo chuckled patting her back._

_"It's okay, we all have our bad days." She retracted her hand and shoved it in her coat pockets feeling a bit awkward after showing any reaction to the stranger besides indifference._

_"Are you gonna tell me your name or should I just refer to you as 'ice cream thief'?" Jiwoo sighed, turning her head to face Sooyoung and her wide shy grin._

_"Kim Jiwoo."_

**. . .**

**Functioning Adults + Jiwoo**

**ChuuChuu: sup rich milfs**

**BiBi: ??**

**ChuuChuu: you're meeting Haseul today right!?!?**

**DoctorOc: why is Haseul meeting with a lawyer did a kid bite her-**

**BiBi: I legally can't disclose why but ??**

**ChuuChuu: you should come to visit the school sometime**

**ChuuChuu: how's your family outing with Jinsoul is she as good as a substitute dad as she is a teacher's**

**DoctorOc: better surprisingly...**

**ChuuChuu: well that's good if we don't take into account her great relationship with the kids she's kinda trash at her job**

**DoctorOc: agreed.**

**DoctorOc: how's Sooyoung?**

**ChuuChuu: I think we broke up**

**BiBi: you don't know??**

**ChuuChuu: it's okay just give it till five she'll be at my door with an apology**

**DoctorOc: I thought it was always your fault, that's what Jinsoul says**

**ChuuChuu: Jinsoul's biased**

**BiBi: your relationship is so confusing-**

**DoctorOc: how long have you been with her**

**ChuuChuu: on and off for about 2 years now**

**DoctorOc: ...**

**BiBi: ...**

**ChuuChuu: what?**

**BiBi: unless she's dumb I wouldn't count on her coming back this time there's only so much a person can handle**

**DoctorOc: jeez how did she last that long she must like you a lot**

**DoctorOc: I love you babes but you suck**

**BiBi: I second that**

**ChuuChuu: ??**

**BiBi: I've got a Ph.D. in psychology I can squeeze in some time for you**

**DoctorOc: oop- LMFAOOOO**

**ChuuChuu: I'm perfectly fine, thank you**

**DoctorOc: there's nothing wrong with seeking help Jiwooming**

**BiBi: I second that also**

**ChuuChuu: I DONT NEED IT???**

**BiBi: suit yourself**

**. . .**

Jiwoo sighed putting away her phone on the kitchen counter and looking at the clock. After she'd thrown out all remnants of her failed breakfast with Sooyoung so she decided to scroll through social media before she started planning out lessons for classes. Jungeun posted a few selfies with Jinsoul and the kids, Hyunjin kinda looked done with everybody's crap in most of them Jiwoo would have to ask her about that later. At the top of her feed was a picture of Sooyoung in a pile of clothes with a few new photos from her other shoots with the caption promoting whatever clothing brand was sending her to New York tomorrow. She almost dared to chastise her in the comments about packing her bags instead of trying to get clout but she kept it to herself. A knock on the door pushed Jiwoo out of her thoughts.

"Kim Jiwoo! The people in your building are shady as hell you better open the door right now!" At the sound of the familiar voice, Jiwoo dropped her phone in shock. Nearly tripping over herself, she ran to the door quickly swinging it open. The familiar girl on the other side gave her a big cheeky smile as soon as their eyes met.

"Asshat!" Jiwoo cheered, enveloping the girl in a tight embrace, knocking the air out of her.

"Wow, Doyeon how's it going? I haven't seen you in two years Doyeon!" The tall girl struggled out sarcastically pushing the shorter girl off her.

"I thought you were in L.A., what happened?" Doyeon's look became distant as she furrowed her eyebrows in contemplation. Jiwoo shoved her shoulder lightly and the woman shook her head giving her friend another sly grin.

"You know, just... _things._ " She spoke rather dryly.

"Things?"

"Yeah, things!" Jiwoo shrugged it off and pulled Doyeon inside, suitcase and all. She made herself comfortable on the couch, her legs crisscrossed as she watched the tv with great concentration. It was news about some influencer named Yoojung (who seemed vaguely familiar to Jiwoo) coming back from her world tour. Jiwoo sat beside her, giving her a fresh cup of coffee ready to hear whatever misadventure Doyeon went on. She turned around and met her best friend's eyes, her brows knitted together. "You're not still dating that Sooyoung character right?" She asked sounding genuinely interested in the topic.

"It's complicated." Jiwoo simply stated sipping the coffee from her mug. Doyeon looked at her with an amused smirk, she took a sip of the warm drink and refocused her eyes to the tv. "What?"

"Nothing it's just- it's been a while." Jiwoo gave her a quizzical look but didn't press on assuming she'd talk more anyway. She looked over to the tv and they were still interviewing the same influencer from before about her success in the west. "Usually they don't last too long you know," Jiwoo scoffed offended, she only giggled playfully. "Have you decided to settle down or something?"

"What? No, why would I?" Doyeon snorted, Jiwoo shoved her lightly trying to get her to talk.

"So you're playing with her then?"

"No." The shorted girl rolled her eyes at Doyeon's usual playgirl antics. "I just break up with her when things get too serious." Doyeon groaned loudly massaging her temples. Setting aside her mug on the coffee table, she turned off the tv and looked at Jiwoo dead in the eye.

"What'd I tell you?"

"Never let it last more than three weeks unless you want a ring on your finger." Jiwoo recited the words with full confidence, but Doyeon only looked at her with an unimpressed stare.

"No, the other thing."

"You're not breaking a girl's heart if-"

"No Jiwoo!" She cut her off looking more aggravated than ever. "Jeez, I told you once you find one you wanna keep all the rules are thrown out the window. They're gone! WHOOSH! Finished Mizz Kim!" She said dramatically waving her arms around as she spoke. Jiwoo furrowed her eyebrows remembering their first-ever discussions in highschool faintly recalling her saying that in the same theatrical excitement.

**. . .**

_After their first encounter at the convenience store, Sooyoung constantly visited the charter school during Jiwoo's lunch, of course, uninvited but she didn't mind too much since the older woman bought her free food. The two always had great conversations during these short periods. Jiwoo would learn that she was a known model internationally but her agency was based in the states so she often had to travel back and forth, her apartment complex was also just across the street from the school. Though, she could safely say Sooyoung was her friend it was clear she wanted more than that. Jiwoo didn't say no to her dates because she didn't like Sooyoung, it was more that she was too perfect though her determination was pretty romantic, to say the least._ _"Bro, what the hell's your issue!"_

_"I'm not your bro, bro!" Jiwoo heard two voices bickering outside her classroom door. She rolled her eyes it was probably two older kids skipping class to goof off in the halls. She got up from her seat reluctantly parting from the Mexican Haseul had gifted her, and put on her best authoritarian face before she walked into the halls._

_"I will not hesitate to call Principal Park if you don't get to class!" Jiwoo yelled as she reached the ruckus. She was a little shocked to see that the cause of the noise wasn't two teenagers trying to make her life a living hell, rather her best friend since high school, Kim Doyeon, and her new food dealer, Ha Sooyoung. Sooyoung currently had her in a headlock, and the much taller Doyeon was uncomfortably crouching, her arms flailing about attempting to escape from Sooyoung's trap. Jiwoo held in a laugh at how terrified Doyeon looked, it reminded her of when the taller woman would get caught hiding out in the girl's bathroom probably snorting smarties for a dollar or something equally as dumb. "What the hell is going on?" Sooyoung gave Jiwoo a wide grin upon meeting her gaze._

_"I was protecting you from this giant imposter!" She looked down at Doyeon for a moment. "What do you eat anyway? A person shouldn't be **that** tall."_

_"Jiwoo can you get this crazy person off of me!" Doyeon groaned, trying to push Sooyoung off to no avail._

_"But I'm kinda enjoying this-"_

_"Kim Jiwoo!!" She sighed in defeat, she gave Sooyoung the coldest stare she could muster trying not to break out in laughter and the model wordlessly dropped Doyeon to the ground. Doyeon got up from her spot and wiped the dust off her pants sending a glare in Sooyoung's direction before making her way towards her best friend, Sooyoung followed close behind._

_"What'd you say to her?"_

_"Nothing! I swear!" Doyeon huffed, entering the classroom with crossed arms and pouting lips. Sooyoung shot her a wary look, Jiwoo patted her on the back and gave her a small smile as they both entered joining Doyeon at her desk._

_"So would you like to explain why you made me part ways with my lunch?" Sooyoung sat awkwardly in one of the small desks for the kids, her legs contorting weirdly so she could fit inside, while Doyeon sat with a smug smile on top of Jiwoo's leaning all her weight on her arms. Jiwoo sat at her desk finally being able to take a blissful bite of her burrito bowl while she listened to the two._

_"She said she's your wife." Sooyoung started causing Jiwoo to almost snort out her salsa verde. After college Doyeon was arrested, why, Jiwoo never asked but the security guard at the front gate used to be an ex-cop and they sort of had to beef so the only way she would ever be let in is if she had some sort of familial relationship with Jiwoo. She was far too mischievous looking to be related to the baby faced teacher so Jiwoo just told him she was her wife on a whim, she almost forgot all about it until now._

_"I thought she was friends with the piglet-"_

_"Doyeon," Jiwoo warned. "Don't worry, I wouldn't marry her even if you paid me. But you can't just attack everyone who claims they're romantically involved with me, it's not gonna make me say yes to your dates, Sooyoung." She teased, sending a wink in the older woman's direction. Doyeon whipped her head around to face Jiwoo and gave her a questioning look, she only shrugged in response. She raised her eyebrow as if to say 'we'll talk about it later' and Jiwoo gave her a thumbs up dismissing the topic altogether._

_"She asked me for my number right after, I was just trying to defend your honor." She pouted cutely and it took everything in Jiwoo not to swoon. "Since you're not already married I still have a chance right?" Sooyoung gave the younger woman a cocky smirk, Jiwoo pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned._

_"Keep trying, when she does that it means it's working." Doyeon's tone of voice was infuriatingly cheeky, Jiwoo was quick to shove her off her desk after that. She turned around in offense but Jiwoo gave her the finger shooing her away to sit next to Sooyoung or anywhere that wasn't near her as a response. She walked in front of Sooyoung's desk with a scowl gracing her features."If she doesn't like you don't you think you should leave her alone?" Sooyoung chuckled loudly at the threat getting up from her seat. She sneered at the taller girl._

_"If she didn't like me don't you think she would've said so herself?" Sooyoung spat. Doyeon's fists clenched as she moved dangerously closer to the girl._

_"You don't want me as your enemy...Soo **dung** was it-"_

_"Kim Doyeon, stop picking fights please." Jiwoo berated, trying to save Sooyoung knowing full-well that her best friend liked getting herself and others into trouble. Doyeon laughed menacingly, giving Sooyoung a playful grin before putting the appropriate space between them._

_"Maybe she does, but I sure don't." She said going back to her original spot on Jiwoo's desk to the teacher's dismay. Sooyoung stayed unmoving, her fists clenched and jaw stiff. After a few seconds, she sighed and gave the teacher a polite smile._

_"I have a shoot tomorrow morning in L.A. I wanted to say bye before I left." She scratched her nape awkwardly, her usual shy smile returning._

_"When can I see you again?" Jiwoo smiled back, Sooyoung's eyes widened in surprise, her response obviously taking her off guard._

_"I-I'm gonna be back in three days, I can drop by if you want." She stuttered. Doyeon scoffed but Jiwoo completely disregarded her, mad that the tall girl had made such a scene before._

_"It's a date then."_

**. . .**

Getting lost in her own thoughts, Doyeon turned the tv back on and continued to watch the news waiting for Jiwoo to regain her ability to communicate.

"Who says I want to keep her she's the one who keeps coming back." She spoke sounding sure of herself. Doyeon laughed loudly, clutching her stomach.

"Poor Soodung's desperation is pathetic." She said wiping the laugh-induced tears from her eyes. Jiwoo shoved her again, Doyeon and Sooyoung's relationship was never all that great and she hated it when they talked bad about each other. "So if you don't want to keep her would you cheat on her with that girl?" Doyeon pointed to the tv where the same famous influencer continued to speak excitedly about her time in places like France, or Thailand. She had bangs that accentuated her pretty youthful features, and her aura was bright and attractive. Jiwoo wondered what it would be like to be with her, or anybody else besides Sooyoung but for some reason, she couldn't. "Have you ever been with anybody else since Sooyoung?" Doyeon continued to ask, taking a big sip of her coffee as her attention switched from the tv to the woman beside her.

"No."

"What are you planning to do when she doesn't come back, Jiwoo?" Doyeon started. "I know I make fun of her all the time, but she's coming back for something. Sooyoung's smart and sure of herself she doesn't do things without a valid reason, this isn't highschool Jiwoo you either end it all together or you don't."

"What's got you becoming Gandhi?" Jiwoo scorned.

"I met an old friend and she told me I needed to _grow up,_ Kim Jiwoo." She joked, kicking her feet up on the coffee table. Jiwoo was far too busy pondering to push her legs off.

"I don't love her, Doyeon."

"If you don't you should tell her, get it over and done with you know? Doesn't she have a trip tomorrow, you should do it before then." Doyeon walked over to the kitchen leaving her, now, empty mug in the sink. She leaned on the kitchen counter giving Jiwoo a motivated look.

"I was planning on sleeping over so if you don't come back I'll water your plants." She said giving her a wink and turning back around to face the kitchen sink, beginning to wash the few scattered dishes inside of it. "Well, we don't have all day go get your girl." Jiwoo sighed, getting up from her seat and straightening out her t-shirt.

"I'm not getting anyone."

"Yeah, yeah! just leave already!" Jiwoo whined in annoyance and turned to quickly run into her room and throw on a hoodie before she left the house. When she did eventually make it to the door she didn't give Doyeon a second glance simply saying a quiet goodbye, and went on her way to hail a taxi. When someone dared to pull over and let the teacher in despite the ten-minute distance between each apartment complex the situation had slapped her straight in the face. She was essentially going to Sooyoung's apartment to end things for _good_. The thing that's been going on for two years now. She hadn't realized she was so used to the idea of being with Sooyoung until the strangely slow car ride to her house began.

**. . .**

_Jiwoo had gone on a date every week with Sooyoung since her last encounter with Doyeon. She still doesn't necessarily know why she decided to go on a date with the older woman but they were having fun. Sooyoung became very busy after signing a brand deal in L.A. so a lot of these dates usually took place at her photoshoots but Jiwoo didn't mind too much. Despite working Sooyoung always made sure to pay attention to her the most, soon a lot of her managers and staff knew Jiwoo by name and she even met some of her fancy model friends. They never talked about putting a label on things and she liked it that way, she liked Sooyoung. But don't get too ahead of yourselves it's not like Jiwoo thought of their **thing** as anything more than a little fun. They went on a few dates and had a few heated makeout sessions and that was all she wanted from her._

_"If you're gonna eat the entire breakroom could you at least save me an oatmeal cookie?" Sooyoung walked into the staff-filled room approaching Jiwoo as she had just finished taking a few shots for her feature on a popular magazine._

_"Whoever eats oatmeal cookies is a monster you can have them all," The shorter woman said, tilting her chin a bit to give Sooyoung a chaste kiss making sure not to smudge her makeup. "Done yet?" Sooyoung shook her head showing her a cheeky grin._

_"Jihyo got me a CF deal." She spoke rather dryly scrunching her nose and pouting in dismay, Jiwoo raised her eyebrow._

_"Is that not a good thing?"_

_"Well it is but I'll be busier and then I won't have time to take you out on a **real** date."_

_"I told you I don't mind too much, it's cool seeing you being all professional and model-y, you know?" Sooyoung laughed at Jiwoo's word choice as she linked their arms together, Jiwoo pulling her towards the chocolate chip muffins on the other side of the snack bar. "Besides, you're pretty hot when you're all serious." Soon enough Sooyoung once again became the flustered babbling mess that Jiwoo had met all those weeks ago at the convenience store. She pinched her reddening cheeks then began to feast away at the food in front of her._

_"How about I take you out for ice cream, right now." Sooyoung smiled at her, stuffing her cheeks with food beside the woman. Jiwoo furrowed her eyebrows and turned to look at her again._

_"Right now? In a two-thousand dollar dress?" An amused smile began to play on Jiwoo's lips when Sooyoung shrugged._

_"The photographer told me to take a thirty-minute break but in Taehyung-time that usually means an hour. I'm sure the stylists won't mind as long as I don't get it dirty." Jiwoo gave her a wary look and all she did was give her a not-at-all reassuring thumbs-up paired with a wide grin. Sooyoung was serious._

_"Is ice-cream the best idea then?"_

_"What, did you get tired of it after eating those ten tubs I bought you?" She teased. Jiwoo rolled her eyes and let out a quiet agreement and the next thing she knew Sooyoung was pulling her out of the studio and into the bustling streets of the city. It was a short walk to the ice cream parlor since it was only a few blocks away. The entire time people gawked at Sooyoung, it might've been because she was wearing a pink feathered dress that closely resembled a flamingo or because her beauty was so enchanting everything else seemed lethargic. Jiwoo believed it was the latter since she had to give a few hungry-looking men the harshest glare she could muster, though they were unaffected._ _Sooyoung seemed indifferent about all the attention, she assumed it was because of her many years of experience but if anything her eyes looked rather apprehensive instead of professional._

_"I warned you about the dress," Sooyoung looked Jiwoo's way. "You seem tense." Jiwoo further explained, she shrugged._

_"Guess I don't like the attention that comes with being a model."_

_"You like being a model though right?" Sooyoung shrugged again, reaching for Jiwoo's hand and interlacing their fingers._

_"My parents couldn't afford to send me to college so I kind of just chose the path that seemed the most sensible." Jiwoo hummed in response, not taking the conversation any further since Sooyoung didn't seem like she wanted to. They made it to the parlor in one piece avoiding perverts successfully. After a few awkward moments with the cashier, they ordered two cups of rocky road._

_"If you spill ice cream on that dress Jihyo won't have to kill you, cause I will."_

_"Jeez, why do you care so much-"_

_"I don't. I just don't want to be put on that woman's list she's freaking terrifying." Sooyoung snorted at Jiwoo's remark. She only shuddered at the thought of her manager. "The more I think about it the more respect I have for Daniel." She punched her arm playfully and Jiwoo chuckled._

_"Feed me."_

_"What?"_

_"You said you don't want me to get dirty." Sooyoung smiled cheekily, Jiwoo looked at her unimpressed. "Think of Jihyo." She said as she pushed the paper cup in her direction. Jiwoo sighed surrendering to Sooyoung's demands and shoveled the ice cream into her mouth. Sooyoung's cheeky grin remaining whilst she spoon-fed her the rest of her ice cream._

_"You're ridiculous."_

_"I think you like it though, Kim Jiwoo."_

_"I'm gonna hurt your feelings, Ha Sooyoung." She chuckled, resting her hand in Jiwoo's palm across the table._

_"I'm well aware of that."_

**. . .**

"Jiwoo," Sooyoung said in a monotonous tone. Jiwoo's heart restricted, hating the way her name sounded so vile in the older woman's mouth.

"Can I come in?" Sooyoung sighed heavily holding the door open, she walked in hesitantly stopping in the corridor that separated the entranceway to the lavish apartment. Sooyoung closed the doors behind them and Jiwoo followed her to the living room. When they finally settled down on her couch the room was silent, Jiwoo fiddled with her fingers thinking of words to say not entirely sure she wanted to go through with this. Sooyoung looked equally as skeptical to say anything but it was her to later break the silence.

"Jiwoo, I'm really tired."

"We can talk another-"

"Jiwoo no I'm tired of us," Sooyoung snapped. Jiwoo's mouth formed into an 'o' shape and the room became silent once again. "I'm tired of always being the one to apologize. I'm tired of being the only one who _wants_ this relationship to become something. Do you even want to be in a relationship?" The more Sooyoung spoke the softer her voice got.

"I'm sorry." That was all Jiwoo managed to say without feeling the need to breakdown. She felt pathetic because she knew the phrase didn't even begin to describe the guilt she felt.

"It's kind of too late for sorry don't you think?" The older girl chuckled bitterly. "I know all the games you play, Jiwoo, this isn't the first time I've fallen in love with girls like you," she flinched at the mention of the word, Jiwoo knew about the girl's feeling but she was never one to express them out loud, rather through actions."I wanted to think I was different for you. If that's all you wanted to say then I think you should just go at this point-"

"I love you." she choked out, feeling the tears start to flow out of her eyes. Sooyoung looked at her with her mouth agape, Jiwoo swore she saw tears beginning to brim her eyes. She felt her heart begin to constrict again at the thought of Sooyoung being upset because of her but finally being able to get those words that have been stuck in her head for so long felt like learning how to breathe again. "Is that what you want to hear? I do, I love you, like, a lot and I'm sorry for being so stupid and not realizing it sooner. You make me so happy and I took it all for granted." The weight on Jiwoo's chest lifted when Sooyoung wrapped her in a tight hug, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"You're not stupid."

"Kinda."

"Yeah, a little." Sooyoung laughed. Jiwoo cuddled into the crook of her neck and Sooyoung affectionately cooed as she rested her chin on her head. "Jiwoo this doesn't change anything," Sooyoung started, Jiwoo tensed but only to melt once more when Sooyoung tightened her hold on her. "It's clear we both need time. _Real time_. I need to heal and I'm sure you've realized you have your problems to deal with."

"God, I feel like Jungeun."

"What?"

"Nothing, keep talking," Jiwoo reassured.

"Well, I just think when we're both ready we can start over," Sooyoung breathed out. "I can take you on a real first date this time too." She teased.

"I kinda thought the whole 'bring thirty dollars worth of chipotle to my workplace after you're fourteen-hour flight' was kind of romantic though," She said letting Sooyoung free from her embrace and finally looking at her teary eyes. Jiwoo wiped away a stray tear that failed to fall off her cheek and watched her laugh at her dumb comment."I love you." The words fell so easily from her mouth it even surprised Sooyoung, but she shot her a shy smile and whispered a soft 'I love you too'. They both knew they had technically just broken up but they couldn't help but be enthralled in each other's ecstasy. The moment was lost though when Jiwoo felt her phone vibrate, she quickly pulled it out and immediately recognized the contact name. "It's Jungie, she probably wants to gush about how pretty Jinsoul is but then claim she's as straight as a ruler." she groaned. Jiwoo watched Sooyoung's eyes become wide and soon hers followed. "I'm so screwed."

"Jungeun likes _Jinsoul_? As in married with kids Jungeun?" Sooyoung guffawed.

"I believe the term is 'in-love since highschool' but I guess we could go with that." Jiwoo covered her mouth in shock, mentally berating herself for exposing her nothing-but-loving cousin. "Don't tell anyone." Sooyoung drew a cross on her heart holding in her laughter. The room was silent and thick with tension once more. Sooyoung leaned in and Jiwoo followed like it was an instinct. Their lips touched only for a brief lingering moment but she felt like she was on cloud nine.

"Can we break up tomorrow morning?"

"Don't you have to pack?"

"I can do that tomorrow morning too." The older girl declared pulling Jiwoo in by the collar of her shirt. Their lips crashed into one another once again, Jiwoo thought heart burst into flames when she felt Sooyoung's smile melt against her mouth. Sooyoung's kisses were desperate and pleading and she gave into them. When she felt Sooyoung's tongue poked out teasingly as her hands began to travel under her sweatshirt, she sighed smiling when Sooyoung pulled her closer. Not even a moment later her phone chimed rather loudly, ruining the moment once again. They pulled back from each other hesitantly, their breathing heavy and eyes cloudy with lust though their expressions showing nothing but annoyance. Jiwoo reached for her phone that was tossed to the side and groaned when she saw 'Jungie' written on the screen in bright letters. "Put it on speaker," Sooyoung said as she pulled her by the hand leading Jiwoo to her bedroom.

"Sooyoung I'm not gonna do anything when Jungeun's on the other line." Sooyoung grimaced, gagging dramatically at the implication.

"No! Of course not! I just want to eavesdrop." Jiwoo laughed, giving her a thumbs-up before answering the phone.

**. . .**

**Bar Hoppers**

**ChuuChuu: teehee**

**AuntieJinsoul: HOW MANY OF THESE ARE WE GONNA HAVE??**

**YvesSaintLaurent: As many as she wants**

**Momseul: whipped**

**DoctorOc: whipped x2**

**BiBi: whipped x3**

**ChuuChuu: whipped x4**

**YvesSaintLaurent:** **Jiwoo??**

**AuntieJinsoul: told you I'm the only real one**

**AuntieJinsoul: omg wait, weird lawyer??**

**BiBi: is she talking to me?**

**DoctorOc: I'm afraid so**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, surprised to see me? No? Good. 4 chapters till the drought comes, LETS GOOOO. Okay, but in all seriousness, I'm almost done with chapter 11 anyway. Chapter 12...well...haha. But, do not fear, I've been planning this fic for more than half a year I'm not leaving y'all hanging. I'm just. Mentally ill. Be patient with me. Peace, hope you had a good time reading! P.S. I can't write kiss scenes because I'm unromantic bear with me
> 
> twt: @heekkiesdyke  
> cc: kimlipdyke


	7. Six Feet Apart Cause They're Not Gay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jungeun speaks, Jinsoul listens...and Jiwoo attacks apparently. Oh, and Chaewon throws the election.

When Monday came around after Jinsoul's oddly eventful weekend she'd nearly forgotten about her taxing job as everyone's favorite substitute. If it weren't for Haseul banging on her door at six-thirty in the morning and forcing her to come to school with her and Chaewon because her car was a so-called 'safety hazard' Jinsoul probably would've stayed home with the annoying itch that she was forgetting something. She and Haseul had gone on a date the day after she had asked and it went well, their relationship was sort of undefined at the moment but Jinsoul didn't see any point in rushing into things anyway. They still needed to get to know each other after all.

"Do you not own any work clothes?" Chaewon said with a judging tone, nothing Jinsoul wasn't used to by now. Haseul had left them alone in the car after stopping by a deli to get Chaewon her lunch. She looked down at her clothes, inspecting them. She was wearing a green knitted sweater, ripped black jeans, and her old converse (no laces this time).

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"For a hag, you kinda look like a broke college student." Chaewon sneered. Jinsoul swallowed her anger and rolled her eyes, shifting her attention to the social media apps on her phone trying not to let the waterfall of curses leave her lips.

"You've got a smart mouth, baby Hitler." Jinsoul heard the young girl scoff at her comment.

"Oh please, don't compare me to such a fool. If anything I take after Caesar." Chaewon declared, unbuckling her royal purple car seat and leaning towards the passenger seat of the minivan to face her teacher properly. "Which brings me to a proposition," Jinsoul rose her eyebrow and turned her head to face the tiny blonde."Every class needs a president, Ms. Jung."

"Continue." she turned off my phone giving the child her full attention.

"You need someone on the inside to help maintain order and _I_ need the practice -- of course not to say that I'm not already prepared for world domination. But I digress, I suggest we have an election take place -- I believe in democracy after all."

"Who says you'll win?"

"I already have a large following in the classroom. If they don't worship me they fear me, Ms. Jung." The young girl snickered evilly, Jinsoul shivered feeling cold at the thought of how menacing such a small sweet-looking little girl could be. "If you don't then I'll just have to ruin your chances with my pretty Aunt Haseul!" Chaewon's demonic laughter grew louder as she settled back into her purple throne.

Not long after, Haseul had rejoined the both of them in the car. She gave Jinsoul a worried look before strapping herself into the driver seat. "You look kinda pale."

**. . .**

"Benjamin Franklin was not the first president of the U.S.!"

"But who's the teacher here, Taehyun-"

"Aunt Jinsoul!" Hyunjin's airy voice interrupted the debate Jinsoul was having with another student. She turned and flashed her a large grin, Hyunjin returned the sentiment by showing her a small smile of her own. The teacher shooed the six-year-old away but not before telling him they would continue with their conversation at a later time.

"Hello, loving niece. Wait, should I call you that? Longtime-best-friend's-daughter-that-calls-me-auntie? Doesn't roll off the tongue-"

"Jung Jinsoul!" Hyunjin shouted, snapping Jinsoul out of her discussion.

"Oh- uhm, what can I help you with, Hyun?"

"I wanted to apologize for causing a scene the other day," Jinsoul raised her eyebrow at her, looking around to see if Jungeun was around giving her a death glare or something, but she was nowhere to be found. "Not that I wanted to or anything, my mom lectured me a lot on Sunday about my pride and how I need to express my feelings a lot more or whatever and apologizing was the only way I could go to Heejin's place after the soccer game this week. Speaking of which not to be soft or anything but I was kind of wondering if you could go to that. You don't have to, but you're like apart of the family now and family gets to come to my games, also Yerim likes you and maybe she'll feel less awkward in the stands with just Aunt Jiwoo and Ms. Wong-"

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there," Hyunjin looked up at her, giving the woman a nervous smile that she's never really seen from her. She found her rambling endearing and it was one of those moments you could tell she and Yerim were sisters. Jinsoul patted her on the head and showed her another smile. "I appreciate the apology even though it was kind of half-hearted and I'd love to go to your game." Hyunjin was quick to show Jinsoul her winning sharp canines through her smile before leaving her behind to join Yerim at her desk and give her younger sister a final goodbye.

"Jinsoul?" A brittle voice called from the doorway. She looked toward the source and was met with a middle-aged version of one Kim Jungeun.

"Did I time travel-"

"Jung Jinsoul? I haven't seen you in years!! Look how big you've gotten!" The older Jungeun began walking toward Jinsoul with her arms outstretched, her face morphed into shock as the older woman wrapped her in the tightest mom hug she'd ever received from a stranger(?). "Gosh, I haven't seen you since Jungeun dragged me to your graduation."

"Oh, Mrs. Kim?" Realization flickered in Jinsoul's eyes as she gave her a tight-lipped smile. She hadn't seen the woman in fourteen years, but she never noticed how similar she and Jungeun were, physically, until now. Maybe it's because Jungeun wasn't a baby-faced sophomore anymore and now they seemed to share the same pale faces, worn-out eyes, and lukewarm smiles. Or maybe they just always looked quite similar and she just failed to notice because she refused to look at Jungeun's mother for more than necessary amounts of time in fear she'd kill her in her sleep. Not to say that Mrs. Kim was anything less than nice to her but when Jinsoul would see her, just that there was always something about her piercing eyes that did nothing but make her almost piss her pants.

"You're a teacher! I thought you would've been in New York performing on that stage...what was it?"

"Broadway."

"Ah, yes that! It was all Jungeun could talk about, but as I'm sure you know we all grow out of our childish, stupid, _unreachable_ dreams." She spat finally freeing the substitute from her embrace. Of course, there was no malice in her tone and she said it with a smile but Jinsoul couldn't help but feel directly attacked. So, of course, she had to say something back right? _Right_?

"Mrs. Kim I don't remember you being such a b-"

"SOUL!" The surprisingly booming and panicked voice of the actual Kim Jungeun had interrupted their conversation. She had already reached them with Jiwoo in tow. Her timing was impeccable and Jinsoul wondered if she was listening in the whole time. "I see you've met my mother." She said through a clenched jaw, pulling her mother by the arm.

"Darling, we were just discussing how pretty Jinsoul's gotten!"

"Was I not pretty before?" Jinsoul scoffed quietly hoping nobody heard. Jiwoo was giving her a warning glare, probably sensing her rising anger. Jungeun gave the teacher an apologetic smile.

"Gosh, you _have_ gotten quite beautiful," Mrs. Kim spoke again suddenly locking gazes with the woman, her eyebrows furrowing as she returned her eyes to Jungeun. "You haven't been hanging around her often, right?"

"No, mother. Let's get going, Hyunjin will be late for classes," Jinsoul gave her a questioning look she only shook her head dismissively, dragging her mother along to pull Hyunjin away from Yerim. "Hyun, stop crying please aren't you the older one? HYUNJIN, _COME ON_ YOU'LL SEE HER FOR DINNER!!" Jiwoo stepped into the light putting an arm around Jinsoul's shoulders and giving her one of her Jiwoo-type-of-bright smiles.

"Jeez, they're nothing alike."

"I was thinking the exact opposite."

"No, honey, trust me, they are _nothing_ alike."

**. . .**

After everyone had settled into their seats and attendance was taken, Jinsoul clapped her hands three times, and about half the class followed by clapping their hands twice to the beat. It was a trick that Haseul had taught her to get the class's attention, but of course, kids being kids, she still didn't have everyone's eyes on her.

"One, two, three, eyes on me!"

"FOUR, FIVE, SIX, EARS AND LIPS!!" A cacophony of six-year-old screeches had filled the room signaling Jinsoul had successfully garnered their attention.

"Okay kids so I've decided no school today!" Yeojin began applauding only to be silenced by Hyejoo slapping her hands shut, a pained groan escaped from the small girl and the whole class broke out in various snorts and stifled giggles. Jinsoul cleared her throat rather aggressively and the kids were once more silenced. "So, since I don't wanna do my job today and, well, honestly till Ms. Kim yells at me to do so, we'll be having a class election day!" Chaewon cheered loudly, and a few scattered reluctant whoops could be heard as well.

Chaewon walked to the front of the room with her head held high, one hand on her chest and the other raised. "As the president, I promise I'll serve you well -- who am I kidding you'll serve me!!" The blonde girl's loud cackle filled the room and Jinsoul had to suppress the urge to shudder. 

"Would anyone else like to nominate someone or themselves to be class president before we move on to other positions?" She said dryly not at all expecting anyone to speak up. Jinsoul was pleasantly surprised and quite frankly amused when Hyejoo had skipped up to the front of the class taking her spot next to a betrayed-looking Chaewon. She looked at her teacher with her eyebrow raised probably expecting her to continue talking but all Jinsoul could do was raise her hands to protect herself in fear.

"O-okay, well! Would the nominees like to choose their VP?" She cleared her throat brushing the non-existent dust off her sweater, trying to save the little dignity she had left.

"Yeojin," Hyejoo said softly. "And I want Yerim to be my treasurer." She finished, a light blush visible on her cheeks. Chaewon scoffed, but Jinsoul doesn't know whether it was in offense or jealousy because she could've sworn she and Hyejoo got married on the sand-lot last Friday. But maybe it was offense since she didn't seem to have a problem with the fact Hyejoo also married that one dog from that animal- _coercion,_ or whatever you call it, game on her switch. "Anyone who wants the secretary position can have it."

"I want Minju as my vice, Tzuyu as my secretary, and Mashiho as my treasurer. You know why Hyejoo?" Chaewon asked the girl, grabbing Hyejoo by the wrist so she was facing her. Though Hyejoo was comically taller than the blonde and after the embarrassing realization, a soft 'chair' could be heard leaving the shorter girl's lips before Minju scurried in their direction giving the girl her own to stand on. A sinister smile formed on the -- now taller Chaewon as she gazed down at an unimpressed and smirking Hyejoo. "Because...I believe in diversity, _Son Hyejoo_." 

"Well does anybody want to be our secretary then?" The room was silent, everybody was too engrossed in the duel that was unfolding before them. "Okay then, Tzuyu, congrats, you're now our secretary!!" A sorrowful wail was heard from the girl followed by grief-stricken screaming but the class applauded for her nonetheless. "Okay, everyone go back to their seats to discuss you're plan of action, I'll put on Independence Day, and if Ms. Kim or Jo asks...it's not a Will Smith movie-"

"I didn't want it to come to this Chaewon, you've got to believe me!"

"Or not."

"I didn't know when you said we'd take on the world _together_ it meant that I was just going to be your goon!" Hyejoo huffed, it was the loudest Jinsoul ever heard her talk and she'd be lying if she said she didn't flinch.

"I wouldn't say goon, more like head-night or general."

"It doesn't matter Chaewon, we made a promise and you broke it before things even started!!" Hyejoo sounded genuinely distressed now and Chaewon began looking a bit small despite standing on a chair.

"Girls, maybe we should-"

"Shut it, Jung." Chaewon hissed. Jinsoul nodded pursing her lips and taking a seat behind her desk. "Fine, if it means we settle this. May the best overlord win."

"Deal."

**. . .**

A few hours passed and the kids had managed to finish Independence Day before lunchtime and without any further mishaps with Chaewon and the chipmunks. Jinsoul was pretty much convinced that there was a lot more to Hyejoo's outburst earlier and she planned on talking with her before dismissal. As of now, she was sitting in the teacher's lounge, scrolling through Instagram and picking at the Burger King Jiwoo left in the staff refrigerator. 

**. . .**

**Jungeun: is it your lunch period?**

**Jinsoul: yessir**

**Jungeun: burger king chicken nuggets taste like leather horse balls**

**Jinsoul: why leather?**

**Jungeun: just open the door Soul**

**. . .**

Jinsoul, shocked by the turn of events, whipped her head around to face the door, and lo behold there stood Dr. Kim in all her glory. Jinsoul stood up from her seat and let her inside the room, her hands busy with a large paper bag. She flashed her a grin before walking to the table Jinsoul once occupied to set her belongings down. "What are you doing here?" Jinsoul asked as Jungeun began unpacking the contents of the bag wordlessly.

"Is it illegal for me to bring you some propper food? You look so thin these days," Jungeun nagged, still very focused on unpacking everything. "There's a lot so you can have the leftovers for dinner." Jinsoul laughed seeing the vast amount of Tupperware being laid out on the table. She walked toward Jungeun and pushed her away from the bag lightly to stop her movement.

"Thank you, but you don't have to-"

"I wanted to, Jinsoul." Jungeun walked over to the bag again and began unloading once more. Jinsoul sighed in defeat and helped her take out all the food, it smelled good so she didn't put up much of a fight. Afterward, she grabbed a few paper plates and utensils from the cabinets and prepared a plate of the ginormous selection of food for both Jungeun and her.

"Smells delicious, but it isn't going to kill me later, right?" Jinsoul teased, taking the seat across from the doctor.

"I'm a doctor, there's nothing to worry about, Soul." They ate in silence, the room was pretty empty besides the occasional teacher coming in to grab a fruit or something else from the fridge. "Where's Jiwoo and Haseul?"

"The older kids have lunch after the little ones, so when the kindergartners go off to recess they'll have the cafeteria around one-thirty." Jungeun nodded in response before looking at her watch.

"So we have about twenty minutes before chaos ensues." Jungeun jokes, Jinsoul laughed quietly still focusing on her food. Minutes went by and they didn't continue the conversation, they just ate in comfortable silence. Somewhere along the way, Jungeun had begun to playfully rub her foot against Jinsoul's leg, at first she was a bit surprised but she didn't think much of it since this happened to be a common occurrence when they were in high school. During table reads in drama club, Jinsoul would get bored and decide to tease Jungeun secretly under the table, she'd go all red and it later just became another habit they had around each other.

Jinsoul felt her kick her shin under the table lightly causing her to look up from her half-eaten plate of food in surprise. Jungeun didn't meet her eyes, only focusing on her phone probably looking through social media, but Jinsoul could see a small smirk forming on her lips. She furrowed her eyebrows holding her chin in her palm and began observing Jungeun's features. She hadn't changed much since high school. She still had her long brunette locks that cascaded over her shoulders, that same cold aura that faded completely whenever she smiled, and her petite figure that always contrasted her strong personality. Jungeun was still the same immensely beautiful girl she was all those years ago but Jinsoul couldn't help but think she looked different. Her eyes were darker and her shoulders drooped, she looked tired -- but not the type of tired any working mother would be it was a _sad_ type of tired. 

"Are we strangers?" She asked softly, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer at all.

"What?"

"Are we strangers, Jungeun?" Jinsoul played with her fingers under the table, avoiding the younger woman's gaze. "I know I haven't been there for a long time so I was just wondering."

"Of course not, you loser!" Jungeun laughed, scooting her chair over to sit next to the taller woman. "It doesn't matter how many times you need to leave, Soul, when you come back you always have a place with me." Jinsoul smiled at her feeling sheepish at the sudden sentiment, she smiled back.

"So I wouldn't be overstepping if I asked you what was wrong that night at the bar?" Her smile faltered and Jinsoul held on to her hands squeezing them a bit. "You can't tell me I made you cry like that there has to be more to it. I might not know you as well as I did in high school but I can tell when somethings bothering you and something's been bothering you for a while now." She laughed bitterly looking down at their interlocked fingers. Using her free hand she pinched at the skin on Jinsoul's hand lightly, pursing her lips before returning her gaze to her. Jungeun exhaled shakily before giving Jinsoul a tight-lipped smile.

"I suppose you do deserve some type of explanation."

"You don't have to if you're not comfortable," She reassured, clearing her throat and shifting in her chair awkwardly.

"Jinsoul, it's okay, I swear." Jungeun laughed. She sighed, adjusting Jinsoul's hand so that it was palm up and began playing with her fingers using both of her hands. She began to talk keeping her eyes fixed on the older woman's hands. "College wasn't very fun for me..."

"I can imagine, science was never my strong suit." Jinsoul joked attempting to lift the tension a bit, Jungeun smiled a little before continuing.

"Freshman year was hard for a lot of different reasons but I kept my head up, I thought of you a lot during that time. Whenever I wasn't feeling good enough I remembered all the times you made me feel _more_ than enough. But I guess somewhere along the way that stopped working and all I could think was 'if I was good enough why did she leave?'" Jinsoul was about to protest but Jungeun shook her head in disapproval so she stayed silent.

"When I turned twenty my grades started getting bad and all I did was get drunk and sleep with every guy who gave me the slightest bit of attention. It was stupid how desperate I was to feel wanted but I don't regret anything because I wouldn't have Hyunjin otherwise. My parents were friends with high people and they thought it would be bad for their reps if their daughter got pregnant because of some stupid one-night stand she was too drunk to remember. They made me marry the first guy they found, they didn't care if he was the father or not they just wanted me married to someone when I had this kid so they didn't look too bad. It helped that Minhyun was the heir to a company."

"Minhyun isn't Hyunjin's dad?"

"Minhyun isn't Hyunjin's father like he is Yerim's but he will always be their dad, they love him."

"Do you?"

"...Something like that."

"So you're unhappy?"

"Something like that." Jinsoul hummed in response, taking her free hand and moving the loose strands of hair behind Jungeun's ear. She held her chin in her hands and moved her face so she could look Jungeun in the eye.

"I'll be here whenever you're ready, alright?" Jungeun nodded giving her a shy smile. Jinsoul cupped her face as she affectionately swept a thumb over her cheek, leaving a lingering kiss on her forehead. When she pulled away Jungeun's smile was replaced with a stupefied look, she chuckled lightly and the doctor's face morphed into a shy grin once more.

"OH MY GOSH! IS THAT MY JUNGIE!!" Jiwoo's booming voice interrupted the sweet moment, Jungeun was so startled by the sudden change of atmosphere she began tipping off her chair. Luckily Jiwoo was there to save her with her oddly terrifying fast reflexes. Once Jungeun was safely on her chair again, she groaned loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose. Jiwoo laughed awkwardly, giving Jinsoul a small wave before dragging a chair over to their table to sit with them. "Volume control, got it! Good thing I have a black belt." They all chuckled, albeit wearily. Jiwoo and Jungeun seemed like complete opposites to Jinsoul. Jungeun looked like she knew what she wanted and how to get it, while Jiwoo looked like if she killed an ant she would cry, but once you got to know them well enough the roles were suddenly switched. "Where's Auntie?"

"She left early, she had some sort of meeting."

"Jeez, that woman still works?"Jungeun nodded, laughing at Jiwoo's surprise. Not a second later Haseul had appeared looking busy on her phone. She silently took a seat at Jinsoul's other side without sparing a glance in anybody's direction.

"Who's the boyfriend?" Jungeun joked. Haseul snapped out of her daze and looked in her direction.

"Oh sup', Jungeun." Haseul greeted as she set her phone facedown on the table. Jinsoul raised her eyebrow in a teasing manner, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"Yeah, who's the boyfriend, Haseul?" The music teacher shoved her lightly as a response, everyone else at the table looked at them with bemused expressions as if they just missed a joke.

"It's just the lawyer, I have to meet up with her this weekend. You still owe me a second date, don't think I'd let you off that easy." She smiled rolling her eyes at the woman beside her. Jungeun's eyes went wide in horror as she let out a surprised squeak, Jiwoo was frozen in shock.

"Wait-"

"Jiwoo, please-"

"YOU TWO WENT ON A DATE?!?!" Haseul laughed at Jiwoo's outburst while Jungeun stayed uncharacteristically silent. Usually, Jungeun was nosy and Jinsoul had expected her to be the first person on her case about the relationship (?) she had with Haseul. Jinsoul shrugged it off assuming it was just another trait she left back in high school. 

"It's not that big of a deal." Jinsoul reasoned folding her arms across her chest, leaning ever so slightly in her seat. She felt Jungeun staring holes in the side of her head.

"Yeah, it's a pretty big deal, Jinsoul." Jungeun glowered. The room went silent at Jungeun's sudden angry demeanor, all you could hear was her sharp intake of breath upon noticing the tension. She showed them a rather forced smile before explaining herself. "I mean you guys should've told us, we _are_ your friends."

"You guys need to calm down, it's a new thing. Plus what if there's nothing to tell? What if Jinsoul doesn't have the balls to ask me out again?" Jinsoul scoffed at the insult Haseul only chuckled victoriously.

"I knew something was up. You two were way too close during Sooyoung's rendition of Drake's Hold On, We're Going Home!" Jiwoo clapped excitedly before her expression morphed into one of distress. "Did you eat my Burger King?"

**. . .**

Jinsoul sat on the swing sighing dreamily as she watched Hyejoo tackle a boy playing tag while Yeojin and Yerim laughed in glee. Chaewon sat on the swing beside her as Minju pushed the blonde lightly. "What brings you here? Aren't you a bit old for recess?"

"Aren't you a bit young to have such a broad vocabulary?"

"Here at St. Tiffany's they feed us the dictionary instead of real food." Gowon deadpanned, Jinsoul gave her a puzzled look but all she did was wave it off and continued. "But seriously, why are you here?"

"I ate Ms. Kim's Burger King and she chased me out of the building, you?" The small girl smiled at the thought of the rampaging teacher before opening her mouth to respond.

"Oh, well I felt bad for making Hyejoo sad so I decided it'd be better if we play what she wanted. Tag's not my thing so..." Chaewon trailed off, Jinsoul hummed in understanding. She kicked the dirt below her thinking of her next words not wanting them to go quiet just yet.

"What's up with you two anyway? Do you like her or something?"

"Oh god no, people with emotions don't win Ms. Jung. She likes me! And frankly every person she's ever met, Hyejoo's kind of a player. But aren't we all at this age."

"I think she just wants a hug."

"I've tried, she bit me." Chaewon winced at the memory, Jinsoul laughed and soon she joined in as well. It was probably the first time the teacher didn't think the blonde girl completely hated her. Before the silence could settle in Chaewon's voice could be heard again. "You like my aunt right?" Jinsoul furrowed her eyebrows at her sudden serious tone.

"I think so, why?"

"Even if you don't you should take care of her. She doesn't have a Hyejoo."

Jinsoul paused for a moment, smiling softly at Chaewon's words. "Okay," was all she said in response. She kicked at the dirt again letting the silence set in this time around. "Why are you blonde by the way?"

"I was born with it."

"Don't lie!"

"I'm not-"

"JINSOUL!!" At the loud call of her name, the substitute fell off the swing, getting up quickly ready to run at any sign of an angry Kim Jiwoo. She sighed in relief when she saw Jungeun jogging in their direction, ignoring Chaewon's mocking laughter as she dusted the dirt off her jeans. "I thought she ran you off the lot or something," Jungeun said to her, patting Chaewon's head in acknowledgment. The child sneered at her as she shoved Jungeun's hand off her head, running off while grumbling something about getting Yerim off her favorite slide, Minju following. "She seems nice."

"You get used to it." Jungeun smiled, wrapping an arm around Jinsoul's shoulders.

"Is she going to hurt my kid?"

"Hard to say." She murmured as they watched Chaewon chase Yerim around the playground."Sorry by the way..."

"Why?" Jinsoul shrugged, scrunching her nose in distaste.

"You seemed mad at me earlier." Jungeun furrowed her eyebrows nodding before squeezing her friend's shoulders lightly.

"Sorry about that, it wasn't your fault, I just remembered something about work and lashed out. Congratulations though, she seems like a good person." Jungeun consoled, moving her hands lower to rub comforting circles on Jinsoul's back. She looked at her face searching for any hint of dejection but only found affection and honesty in them despite her bitter tone. Jinsoul couldn't help but blush at the mention of Haseul and her being anything more than friends making Jungeun laugh airily.

"T-there's nothing to congratulate yet stop doing that!" Jinsoul stuttered looking down at the grass, pushing the younger woman off her. Jungeun laughed at her embarrassment squeezing her cheeks in adoration. She smiled at Jinsoul and punched her shoulder lightly so she could have her attention once more.

"Hyunjin's school is letting out soon, so I'll leave you to it." Jinsoul nodded still sulky about all her teasing. She hugged her briefly before running off to the playground to save Yerim from impending doom and sneak a kiss on the little girl's forehead. Jinsoul laughed when she saw Yerim squirm in her mother's embrace and watched as Jungeun jogged away to the parking lot.

**. . .**

**Les be teachers + Sooyoung**

**Momseul: I bought Jiwoo more Burger King the coast is clear**

**ChuuChuu: you're lucky Grubhub was invented**

**AuntieJinsoul: I prefer door dash**

**YvesSaintLaurent: I don't know what's going on but your sarcasm isn't helping your case**

**I would know**

**AuntieJinsoul: I'm sure you would, loser**

**why are you even here anyway? You don't educate young minds**

**YvesSaintLaurent: I've decided to take the next plane home so I can choke you to death**

**Momseul: ladies...**

**ChuuChuu: Jinsoul and Haseul are dating**

**YvesSaintLaurent: WHAT**

**Momseul: JIWOO**

**AuntieJinsoul: I still don't think it's a big deal**

**YvesSaintLaurent: This just keeps getting better and better**

**ChuuChuu: I know right? Who knew my life could be so drama-filled**

**AuntieJinsoul: THERE IS NO DRAMA**

**Momseul: I have a really strong itch I'm missing something really important**

**AuntieJinsoul: you're not**

**ChuuChuu: Jinsoul is**

**AuntieJinsoul: ??**

**YvesSaintLaurent: I would explain but Jiwoo has a black belt and I'm honestly enjoying this way too much**

**AuntieJinsoul: smh lesbians.**

**. . .**

"Alright, kids settle down." Jinsoul waited as the students began taking their seats after a well-deserved playtime. The day had gone by with only one minor scuffle so she allowed them to do as they pleased after they had returned from recess. It was fifteen minutes before dismissal and everyone had their backpacks hanging off the side of their chairs and jackets on ready to leave and brave the fall weather when their parents or busses had arrived to take them home. "Nominees, would you like to say some words before voting begins?" Hyejoo stood up from her seat, a very large leather jacket draped on her shoulders. She walked over to the front of the classroom giving everybody a good stare down before beginning her speech. A demanding 'vote for me' left the girl's mouth as she strutted back to her seat, giving a victorious smirk to a fuming Chaewon.

The blonde girl got up from her seat as well, making her way up to the front of the class. She seemed less confident than usual, her cocky smile missing just a tad bit of its wonted wickedness. She sighed crossing her arms over her chest as she paced about the front of the class with a commanding expression. "Son Hyejoo, many might think she's brave and valiant for standing up for her peers," Chaewon began, stopping in front of an unsuspecting Shin Yuna's desk. "She might seem cold and emotionally incapable, perhaps robotic, but you'll be shocked to know under all that scary is a whole lot of heart. Son Hyejoo isn't just brave, valiant, and kind she's smart and commanding and quite frankly a better fit for president than me. If you know what's good for you vote Hyejoo for class president." The small girl declared finishing off her speech. Everyone's jaw dropped in surprise, it's not every day Chaewon _wants_ to lose.

"Is there not a normal child at this school!" A distressed Yeojin sobbed. Hyejoo looked genuinely shocked at Chaewon's sudden change of character, all the shorter girl did was smile at her friend as she took her seat. Jinsoul was too surprised to even believe Chaewon had thrown the entire election after threatening her this morning. When she passed around the 'ballot box' she hovered over Minju's desk just in case she wanted to stuff in some extra ones, but she just put in one that had Hyejoo written on it in sloppy letters. When she finally returned to her desk she didn't even need to count everyone's votes since they all said Hyejoo on them, even the boys Hyejoo regularly attacks near the climbing wall had voted for her.

"Congratulations President Hyejoo, you won by a landslide." Jinsoul laughed in amusement at the sudden turn of events. Hyejoo gave her the most genuine smile she had ever seen on the girl's face, there was no ill intention or cockiness just happiness. She looked over at Chaewon who looked a little dejected but she was still smiling widely at her friend. She looked her way and the teacher gave her a thumbs up for her good deed, feeling pride blooming in her chest.

After congratulations were shared and apologies were exchanged between the children of the hour the bell had rung. Parents began to file in the room greeting Jinsoul briefly before whisking away their children. Yerim had sat in Jinsoul's desk already playing color switch on her phone as her friends began to leave the room. Yeojin, Hyejoo, and Chaewon hovered over her cheering her on as they waited for their parents to show up. Jinsoul began her normal end-of-the-day routine of putting away the scattered toys and books in their respective places. Soon a woman with jet black hair and a leather jacket that matched Hyejoo's had entered the room. Hyejoo had looked up from watching Yerim's game and ran into the woman's arms.

"Ma, I'm the class president!"

"They have that for kindergartners?? Uh- I mean congrats baby!!" There was no doubt this woman was Hyejoo's mother, they looked quite similar, but even if they didn't the woman had the same intimidating scary aura about her. What confused Jinsoul was that a cute looking blonde woman or a cranky old lady was always the one to pick Hyejoo up from school. "You must be Mrs. Jung." The woman said with a smile. She picked up Hyejoo from her waist and walked over to her desk with her unoccupied hand outstretched. Jinsoul returned the smile as she shook her hand.

"That's my mother, I'm Ms. Jung. Or Jinsoul, or Soul. I don't know names don't matter you can call me whatever you want!" Jinsoul insisted, a terrified lilt in her voice. Hyejoo was one thing but an adult Hyejoo was another, and to be frank she was a little scared she was gonna knife her. Moonbyul laughed, giving the kids still behind her desk a small wave.

"I'm Moonbyul, no need to be scared I'm only violent in the ring!" Hyejoo's mother giggled it was surprisingly endearing. Jinsoul raised her eyebrow at the woman's comment. "I'm a UFC fighter." Jinsoul hummed in understanding laughing a bit. 

"UFC's not my thing but I'm pretty sure my big brother has a poster of you in his office." Hyejoo smiled at the comment.

"Is it the one where she's wearing the cool purple camo shorts! We have matching ones!" Moonbyul pet the girl's head affectionately.

"Hyejoo lives with her grandma since I'm not around as much as I'd like to be. My girlfriend lives close by so when her gramps has chores she's the one to pick her up."

"Explains why I've never seen you and Hyejoo together before," Jinsoul concluded. "Well, thanks for saying hi! I'm sure the President is tired from all the playing she did today." Moonbyul looked at her daughter kissing her forehead lightly, Hyejoo responded by squealing cutely and hiding in the crook of her mother's neck.

"See you around Ms. Jung!" And with that pair left, and Jinsoul began to understand a bit more about Hyejoo. Yeojin gave her teacher a pointed look before making her way over to her.

"I should've videotaped that."

"Why?"

"You looked like you were about to piss your pants the entire time, you poor thing."

**. . .**

**Bar Hoppers**

**AuntieJinsoul: Chaewon lost**

**ChuuChuu: Chaewon lost?**

**Momseul: oh my god I'm not gonna sleep tonight...**

**AuntieJinsoul: it was purposeful**

**Momseul: oh really? Crap is it a holiday?? I knew I was missing something**

**AuntieJinsoul: no she was trying to help Hyejoo out**

**Momseul: stop telling lies Jinsoul, first you're stealing burger king now this??**

**AuntieJinsoul: ??**

**YvesSaintLaurent: Low blow Jinsoul**

**DoctorOc: I raised you better**

**BiBi: I don't even know you but I feel inclined to be disappointed**

**AuntieJinsoul: I need new friends-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year's Eve!! 2020 sucked ass lol. Hope you had a good read.
> 
> twt: @heekkiesdyke  
> cc: kimlipdyke


	8. Just Guys Being Dudes: The First Installment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> think of this as the montage music build-up to the next part of the movie, but in written form.

Another day had passed and the kids had all filed out of the classroom, leaving only Yerim at Jinsoul's desk playing a game as per usual. She had already finished tidying up and fed Dialga his second meal of freeze-dried blood worms and cleaned out his filter. Completely out of things to do Jinsoul predicted Jungeun would be here any moment, maybe in hospital scrubs if she had any patients to visit. Yerim caught on to this as well since she began to slip on her purple trucker jacket that Jinsoul had noticed was identical to the yellow one Hyunjin was often seen wearing. "Ms. Jung?" Yerim called softly. She turned her head away from Dialga's aquarium and gave the girl her attention. "Hyunjin read me a book yesterday, it was super big like a thousand pages! Have you read any books that have a thousand pages?"

"I try not to read things that aren't scripts or subtitles, Choerry." Yerim nodded before furrowing her eyebrows in thought. "What was it about?"

"Well, the book Hyunjin read to me was about different worlds," She slumped back in her seat pouting before continuing. "She says that if it's true then there are hundreds of worlds where she and I don't exist and more where we do."

"Then let's be glad we're in this world, right?" Yerim hums before looking at the clock above the door and then returns her gaze to her teacher.

"I'm not too sad about it though."

"Why's that?"

"Hyunjin says that if there are one-hundred worlds where we don't exist then there's at least one where my mom doesn't meet my dad and she gets to be with you instead. I don't mind that world because I know she'll be happy." Yerim concluded, placing her large violet backpack on Jinsoul's desk with a thud. She blinked dumbfounded by the young girl's words. Jinsoul got up from her knees and closed the lid of Dialga's aquarium, calmly walking over to Yerim trying not to seem too affected.

"What'd you mean by that?" She asked tentatively. Yerim looked at her quizzically as if she should've known the answer to her own question. Her expression soon morphed into an amused smile as she giggled softly.

"Who wouldn't want to be with their best friend forever! I think I'd be happy if I got to spend all-day with Yeojin, Chaewon, and Hyejoo." Jinsoul laughed at Yerim's naivety but also at herself for overthinking the six-year-old's words.

"You scared me there, I thought you were implying something different."

"What else could I have meant, silly?" Yerim chortled cutely, jumping to her feet when the clacking of heels began echoing in the halls. A few moments later Jungeun had appeared in the doorway in her usual black pencil skirt and white dress shirt, her hair tied up in a messy high ponytail. Jinsoul suspected she had just left work since she still had on a pearl white lab coat with her laminated name tag dangling from her neck. She gave her a small smile as she motioned Yerim to her side, the younger girl complied, running up to wrap her mother's waist in a tight hug. A small 'oof' left Jungeun's mouth upon impact, she laughed warily ruffling up Yerim's raven locks.

"Rough day?" Jungeun asked smiling. She was probably referring to Jinsoul's punch-stained white jumper but she let herself believe it was because she was genuinely curious and not teasing her like usual.

"Ms. Jung was helping Yeojin practice spit takes during snack time!" Jungeun chuckled at Yerim's enthusiasm, before looking at Jinsoul with pursed lips and a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, maybe kool-aid wasn't the best practice tool," She mumbled shamefully, combing her messy bangs till she was satisfied with their position. "I bribed Sooyoung into letting me use her fancy washing machine, so, no harm no foul!" Jungeun shook her head in disapproval. Though their relationship hasn't changed much now that they were back in each other's lives, a big change Jinsoul often found herself noticing was that Jungeun was often the one taking care of her rather than the other way around. Maybe it was because she was a mother now and taking care of people she cared about was second nature to her, or maybe it was because it was quite obvious Jinsoul wasn't the best at adulting.

"Text me your address."

"Why?"

"Because I'm doing you're laundry from now on."

"I'm not a child Lip-"

"Uh-uh, no back talk young lady"

"I'm older than you-"

"Shush."

"But-"

"No." Jinsoul sighed, surrendering to Jungeun's insistence, planning to find a way to somehow intervene when the time came. Yerim reached her arms up, her mother responding by picking her up and placing a kiss on the side of the girl's head. Sighing contentedly, Yerim laid her head on Jungeun's shoulder and closed her eyes. "Walk me to the car?" Jungeun whispered, setting a hand on Yerim's head. Jinsoul nodded, grabbing her jacket and keys, turning the lights off, and closing the door as they walked out of the classroom.

"I hear Jiwoo's taking care of the kids this weekend," The older of the two spoke quietly as they walked through the empty halls. "Anything special planned with Minhyun?"

"We're going to see an improv group, but here's the catch they're all drunk snobby rich has-been actors."

"He likes that stuff?"

"Yes! They're so dramatic for no reason, it's hilarious, like, it's _so_ bad but _so_ good!" The two adults broke out into giggles. Yerim rustled out of her slumber, looking at them with heavy eyelids. She hit them both lightly sending them piercing glares, before returning to her previous position in her mother's arms. They giggled once more -- silently this time before the two continued their conversation. "How are you and Haseul? Have you asked her out on a second date yet?" Jinsoul shook her head pouting, the younger woman sighed shaking her head. "You _do_ like her, right?"

"Of course, but I don't know what she's into! On our first date, we went to Everland but that's the childish stuff I like."

"It's not childish...it's _charming_." Jinsoul scoffed, Jungeun gave her a teasing smirk. "Seriously, it's endearing." Jinsoul groaned frustrated, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets.

"But Haseul, she's so -- ugh she's so mature, you know? The world could be falling apart but she'd still look like she's got everything under control. She's so selfless too, from the first day I met her I just _knew_ she was going to be someone special. Her lips are soft too-"

"You kissed!? On the lips!?!" Jungeun shrieked, causing a disgruntled Yerim to huff. She whispered a soft 'sorry' before rubbing the child's scalp to lull her back to sleep. 

"Yeah, only like a few times here and there. They were all mostly just small pecks, nothing too exciting."

"Mostly?"

"Y-yeah, why, do you think it's too fast?" Jinsoul stuttered out nervously focusing her eyes on Jungeun, waiting for her answer eagerly. Jungeun looked at the older woman with her mouth agape and wide blinking eyes. She cleared her throat, sniffling a bit.

"Yep. Yes, too fast. _Way_ , too fast." She blurted out, Jinsoul looked down and kicked her feet guiltily. "I-I have an idea!" She looked up once again giving Jungeun an excited smile.

"Do you?"

"Yeah! Uhm," Jungeun furrowed her eyebrows. "How about you come to see the improv group with us?"

"Jungeun, I don't want to intrude."

"No! You know you won't. It'll be a double date!" 

**. . .**

Jinsoul laid on Sooyoung's comfortable suede couch, her limbs sprawled, taking up all the space. Sooyoung shoved her legs to the side, taking a seat with a large bag of chips in her hands. "Aren't you a model?" Jinsoul asked giving her a teasing smirk, she rose her eyebrow in confusion before sneering at her.

"Shut up, I'm pretty." She grumbled, taking a fistful of the greasy snack and messily stuffing it into her mouth. She turned on the TV, switching through channels before stopping abruptly with a gasp. "Shit, that's Doyeon."

"Jiwoo's best friend-slash-new roommate that doubles as your worst enemy?" Jinsoul asked curiously as she turned her body to face the television. "Social media icon, Choi Yoojung, reportedly dating a convicted felon?? Wait, Lil' Sunshine Chuu is hanging out with convicts!?!"

"I know, I told her to stay away from her but she says she's harmless!"

"Oh- what? No! That's badass!" Jinsoul sat up straight, grabbing her phone from her pocket, quickly searching up gossip news outlets for the story. "Bro?"

"What?" Sooyoung snapped as she angrily shoveled more chips into her mouth.

"You're letting your girl hang out with an arsonist? Dude, this chick burned a whole church down!"

"WHAT!?!"

"Chill, chill, the church was the base of a child prostitute ring. That explains why she isn't rotting in a cell right now."

"That doesn't justify it, she could've killed innocent bystanders!"

"I mean..." Jinsoul side-eyed the model, smirking at her growing frustration. "She didn't though." Sooyoung seethed clenching her fists, turning the chips in her hands into nothing but crumbs.

"Gosh, she's so infuriating, she's always getting herself into trouble trying to act like some kind of modern-day vigilante."

"Sounds like you care about her."

"I don't. I care about Jiwoo's well being, I know how much she loves Doyeon but I don't want her caught up in any of that idiot's mess."

"I still think it's pretty badass." Jinsoul sniggered amused, Sooyoung huffed once more throwing the bag of potato chips at her best friend's head before escaping to the mahogany wine-cabinet at the corner of the living room. Jinsoul chuckled knowing well Sooyoung only drank when she wasstressed, she knew when she left the room Sooyoung would call Doyeon up immediately.

"Asked Haseul on a date yet?" The tall woman asked holding up a bottle of cabernet silently asking if Jinsoul wanted a glass. She gave her a thumbs-up, before laying back down on the couch.

"We're going on a double date with Jungeun and Minhyun." Sooyoung gave Jinsoul a pointed look before handing her the glass of wine, setting her's down on the glass coffee table. Pushing Jinsoul's legs out of the way for the second time today as she sat on the couch waiting for her to explain. "I was a little wary too, but she insisted."

"She insisted?"

"Yeah!" Sooyoung snorted as she took a small sip from her wine glass.

"What?" She shook her head dismissingly before finishing her drink in one swift motion and setting the -- now empty glass on the table.

"Have you guys made out in the janitor's closet yet? It's a great experience."

"Please leave your gross fetishes between you and Jiwoo."

"I'm serious, Haseul needs to loosen up a bit anyway. She's too...adult-esc, you know?"

"No, I don't, Sooyoung." Jinsoul spat, drinking the rest of her wine. "How about you and Jiwoo? You guys break up cause you forgot the Pythagorean Theorum again?" Sooyoung scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she continued to watch the TV. "So?"

"We're on a break."

"What, till five?" Sooyoung rolled her eyes, grabbing the bottle of cabernet to fill her glass once more. She stayed silent, switching the channel to some cheesy romance drama as she played with the fabric of her jeans. She looked distant and it worried Jinsoul to no end. "Are you okay?" She shrugged, pursing her lips, and furrowing her eyebrows in faux concentration. She was staring at Park Seo-Joon like he was the most interesting thing she's ever seen. Jinsoul whined loudly, kicking the side of her body to try to get some sort of reaction from her. All she did was glare at the younger woman before returning her attention to the drama. "Sooyoungie~"

"Never call me that."

"Jiwoo can! Do I mean nothing to you! Let me remind we did date for three days at some point."

"Not my proudest moment." She hissed, bringing her knees up to her chest and pouting. "She said she loves me."

"And you're sad, isn't that the one thing you've been waiting to hear for, like, ever??"

"I'm not sad about that, I'm upset because she hurt me and I'm trying to rant but you're not taking me seriously."

"I'm taking you seriously, please rant!" Jinsoul rolled her eyes at Sooyoung's childish behavior. Surprisingly out of the two of them, though Jinsoul might've been the least mature by definition, Sooyoung whined the most and she hated it. She constantly needed attention and Jinsoul was sort of glad she became so infatuated with Jiwoo so quickly because then she wouldn't look for it from her.

"Why are you so mean?"

"WHY ARE YOU SO ANNOYING!?"

**. . .**

"Oh, come on! Yena didn't even touch him!" Vivi yelled uncharacteristically loud standing from her seat abruptly. It had been Jinsoul's first proper in-person encounter with the famed lawyer though she was nonetheless surprised to see her so riled-up over twenty or so ten-year-olds and a ball. They were in the stands with a crowd of other parents and students all decked out in black and white. Yerim was in Jinsoul's lap cheering loudly for Hyunjin even though the girl hasn't even entered the field since Heejin was in for goal-keeper. The team was losing not because it was bad rather Heejin was bad, their only hope was to keep the ball away from their side of the field till half-time and get in as many goals as they could. This was proving quite difficult since the referee didn't seem to be the biggest fan of Block Berry Champions School for the Gifted and continually gave it's players penalty after penalty. 

"This referee's a total idiot is he blind? It's not Yena's fault this Jeno kid tripped over her pass!" Jiwoo joined in on the complaining, giving Heejin apologetic eyes when the sulky girl met her gaze. The only thing separating them from the field was a chain-link fence and a bench with the remaining players sitting on it. Jinsoul could see Hyunjin's back, her shoulders slumped, and a scowl probably plastered on her face reminding her that she was indeed Jungeun's daughter. "Vivi, I'm sorry, but someone needs to take Heejin off that field." Jiwoo grimaced as Heejin failed to keep the ball out of the net once again when the opposing team took their penalty shot.

"Don't worry I completely agree. HEEJIN, THE BALL ISN'T SUPPOSED TO GO IN SWEETIE!!" Heejin glared at her foster-mother as she pouted crossing her arms in protest as she let another shot enter the net. "I LOVE YOU!" Jinsoul giggled at Vivi and Heejin's honest relationship. The whistle blew and it was half-time, the teams left the field to join their respective coaches for a huddle and a water break. Hyunjin had turned around to face them, sitting on her knees looking frustrated.

"It's okay Hyunie, when you get out there you'll turn the game around for sure." Hyunjin scoffed at Jiwoo's words, the crease on her forehead deepening. According to Jiwoo, Hyunjin was quite the star athlete, she's played every single position on the team -- goalie being what she's most comfortable with not to say she wasn't equally as good at the rest.

"Hyunjin!" A blue haired-girl in the same black and white striped jersey came barrelling towards Hyunjin, an unenthusiastic Heejin in tow. The un-named girl gave them a small respectful smile before turning back to Hyunjin in a slight panic. "Coach says you gotta play midfielder."

"What about goalie? We don't have anyone else to take Heejin's place."

"Heejin's still in, I'm defender, Haechan's in forward. We keep the ball out of Heejin's reach we can catch up."

"I'm offended." Heejin deadpans picking at the dirt under her fingernails pursing her lips.

"Can we win?"

"I don't know, but it's our best shot at turning this game around Hyun."

"Ryujin's right, just make sure Heejinie doesn't mess up." Hyunjin smiles at her sister ignoring Heejin's whining and following the two girls back to their coach. The whistle blows once more signaling the start of the third quarter. Heejin's still in goal looking focused but uncertain, Ryujin gives the timid girl a reassuring thumbs-up from her position, not doing much to calm her nerves though. Hyunjin was in the center circle with the boy, Jeno, from earlier only a soccer ball separating them. The two soccer players stare at each other, Hyunjin looked as if she came for death while Jeno seemed to be trembling in fear though he kept a strong facade. The referee's whistle blew and they were off, Hyunjin starting with the ball. She played with the ball, swerving around players passing off to a girl named Lia, Jinsoul recognized as Yuna's, awfully young yet mature, babysitter. 

"Lia! Lia! Lia!" Jiwoo chanted standing from her seat as the girl maneuvered around the field successfully passing it to a baby-faced brunette boy. Yerim had stood up now as well, looking through the fence cheering loudly.

"Jeez, I never thought a kid's game would be so exciting!" Jinsoul yelled over the cheers in Vivi's direction, as she too had gotten on her feet in anticipation.

"These aren't kids, Jinsoul, they're _beasts_." The lawyer spoke, just as the brunette boy had kicked the ball, the goalkeeper just missing it by a few centimeters as it had made its way cleanly into the top-right corner of the net. The crowd erupted into thunderous applause chanting 'BBC' as the brunette boy blew kisses to the crowd while running around the field in victory. The game was far from over though, BBC was still behind three to six, despite the large gap in points the odds looked evened out now.

Minutes that felt like hours had passed and the teams went back and forth. They were tied seven to seven, fifty seconds on the clock, and tragedy had struck. The opposing side had the ball, getting dangerously close to the goal. Ryujin and a few other players were trying to intercept passes when Hyunjin finally takes possession. She passes it through a girl's legs, trying to get it to Ryujin, but her leg slips and the girl topples over taking Hyunjin down with her. The crowd was silent, a crack could be heard echoing through the park.

"Oh no..."

"You have got to be kidding me..." Vivi buried her face in her hands, Jiwoo and Jinsoul winced. Hyunjin rolled off the girl, getting up and brushing off her knees looking terrified. Hyunjin was already burly for a girl her age due to all the exercise she does weekly, the girl she had just trampled had quite the small frame and was currently laying flat on the artificial turf looking dazed. All the players on the field had gathered around the girl, leaving space for the nurse on duty to rush in. The nurse glared at Hyunjin, causing the girl to look down sheepishly. The whole park still silent, with a few murmurs coming from the opposing team members.

"It's broken." The nurse shook her head, two volunteers had come on to the field carrying the girl away on a stretcher. The referee looked directly at Hyunjin's eyes as he pulled out a red card. The crowd groans loudly, as Hyunjin stomps off the field angrily, returning to the bench with an annoyed expression.

"With Hyunjin down their screwed." Jiwoo shook her head solemnly. Jinsoul looked at Hyunjin's down-trodden figure as feelings of guilt washed over her. She jumped over the fence, high on emotion, and took a seat next to the girl wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I'll gladly beat up the referee after the game, I have nothing to lose," Jinsoul said in full sincerity, Hyunjin chuckled lightly at the comment. "I'm serious."

"You and what army?"

"Okay fine, Jiwoo will beat him up, does that sound more believable?" She spat, putting the girl in a playful headlock. Hyunjin whined hitting the woman's arm repeatedly, Jinsoul ruffled up her hair a bit before she let Hyunjin free. "How about we go get ice cream, then I'll drop you off at Heejin's."

"Fine, but who's gonna tell my mom I broke a girl's leg."

"She'll find out."

**. . .**

Yeojin sat on Haseul's lap grumpily eating her ham sandwich as Chaewon stared daggers in her direction. Since Yeojin was quite the trouble maker, she often had to make her sit in the teacher's lounge with them during recess. Jinsoul's sure she didn't mind since Haseul and Jiwoo often showered the small girl with affection and always packed extra food for her. This time Chaewon had joined them today as well since the two thought it'd be a good idea to put Ms. Bae's goldfish in Dialga's aquarium. "We just thought Dialga needed a friend, I didn't know they were gonna fight!"

"I feel like we shouldn't believe that." Jiwoo pointed an accusatory finger at Yeojin who held her hands up in defense.

"Okay, I've thrown a few a fish in the past but I've learned from my mistakes! I've grown, okay?" Yeojin retorted, pouting as Haseul wiped the crumbs off her cheek. "Ms. Bae keeps her fish in a tiny little fishbowl and it made me realize Dialga's spoiled! I thought it would humble him if he roomed with a poor man."

"You look a little spoiled right now maybe someone needs to humble you..." Chaewon grumbled under her breath, taking a long sip from her juice box. If Haseul hadn't held Yeojin down, Jinsoul was almost positive an all-out brawl would begin between the two six-year-olds. They had been fighting this entire time about who's at fault and who should be punished.

"Chaewon..." Haseul warned, still attempting to stop Yeojin from jumping over the table.

"This is all her fault, she knows I'm Ms. Bae's favorite so she _made_ me steal the fish knowing I wouldn't get caught."

"You liar! You volunteered! And I told you we weren't stealing anything, we were saving it!"

"That's a lie, everyone here knows I would never volunteer for something unless there was some sort of crime involved!"

"So you admit you did know Dialga was a killer."

"What? No, stupid!"

"Chaewon!" Haseul scolded, Chaewon rolled her eyes.

"Since you two want to blame each other instead of taking responsibility, then _both_ of you can write a page long apology letter to Ms. Bae and no recess for two days," Chaewon groaned loudly as Yeojin blew air out of her nose in anger. Jiwoo patted Jinsoul's back impressed with the authority in her tone, Haseul clapped softly as well. With ten minutes left of recess, Jinsoul let the kids rejoin their friends on the grounds they don't cause any more trouble till class restarts. When a security guard came to escort the children out to the yard she began to collect her things. "I should probably get going too." 

"No fun! Stay with me!"

"Sorry, but you're not exactly my type."

"I was kidding, leave forever." Jiwoo retaliated, stuffing a grape in her mouth. She chuckled at the younger woman's glaring before leaning her face over to Haseul expectantly. The brunette only scoffed patting her cheek lightly, Jinsoul pouted.

"I'll walk you to class...loser." As promised Haseul followed her out into the hallway, lacing their fingers together as soon as the door had closed behind them. Apart from a few staff and students, the hallways were relatively empty. Haseul wasn't the biggest fan of PDA, which Jinsoul didn't have a problem with since it's not like she wanted to broadcast her social life, but even so, people found out anyway. Sometimes other teachers would give her pointed looks in the teacher's lounge, or nudge her in the halls whenever Haseul passed. It was irritating, and Jinsoul had the tiniest feeling it had something to do with Jiwoo and her constant failure to keep secrets. Maybe it was a Kim thing.

"Chaewon's been asking me if we're dating." Haseul broke the silence, swinging their arms bashfully as she let out a giddy laugh.

"Aren't we?" Haseul stopped walking pulling Jinsoul back with her. She furrowed her eyebrows in deep thought before breaking out into a smile.

"We're getting there."

"But I asked you on a second date wasn't that the requirement?"

"There's a difference between dating and going on dates, I'm not easy Jinsoul."

"I wasn't implying-"

"Besides, a double-date isn't a second date." Jinsoul scoffed, setting her free hand on her heart as her teasing smile turned into an amused smirk.

"Why don't you ask me on a date?? I asked you out first, it's fair!"

"That wouldn't be any fun, would it? Don't you wanna get to know me?"

"Don't _you_ wanna get to know _me_?"

"Like you aren't the easiest person to please." Jinsoul scoffed louder, pulling her hand away from Haseul's and crossing her arms over her chest. "So you're saying if I told you I wanted to take you to see a petting zoo you wouldn't give me that annoyingly cute smile of yours and giggle like a third grader?"

"No."

"What about if we stayed in all day and watched all the sing-along versions of Disney movies?"

"N-no."

"How about...we go to the store..." The brunette woman moved impossibly closer, leaning her face forward grazing Jinsoul's jaw with her lips sending a shiver down her spine. "And we eat all the ice cream flavors." She whispered in her ear, not pulling back just yet only re-entangling their fingers.

"Okay, now you're just playing dirty," Jinsoul whispered back earning a light giggle from the woman. She wrapped my arm around Haseul's waist and rested her chin on her shoulder, she responded by wrapping her arm around her shoulders pulling Jinsoul flush against her.

"I like this, Jinsoul."

"Well, you could've just said that I would've asked you on a second date sooner."

"Loser, a complete loser."

"I thought that one was pretty funny!" Jinsoul huffed as light kisses were peppered along the side of her neck to her jaw. Jinsoul squealed quietly as Haseul's hands moved to her chest pushing her to a more secluded corner of the hall. "I have to get to class."

"You have five minutes, shush." She moved her hands to Jinsoul's shoulders again, leaving lingering pecks on her lips to silence her protests. It didn't take long for Jinsoul to give in. It was messy, and there was a lot of clashing teeth because Haseul couldn't stop laughing at how easy it was to get the taller woman to shut up. When Jinsoul stopped whining and Haseul stopped laughing things began to turn sweet, as they always did with Haseul. The brunette could make a desolate desert into a lively forest and Jinsoul frankly couldn't get enough of it. All ill feelings she previously had seemed to fade whenever Haseul was around and Jinsoul wondered if that would still happen if they were just friends. If whatever it was between them didn't work out then would the effect just wear off?

It'd sound stupid if she said she doubted Haseul's feelings, especially because though their _thing_ was new there was no shortage of passion. Though every time their limbs were entangled with one another on Jinsoul's second-hand couch or when their lips were locked behind bedroom doors and in dark hallway corners, she couldn't shake the feeling things weren't supposed to be this way. She felt selfish thinking about what they had wasn't enough. As the days pass the more Jinsoul realized maybe Haseul isn't what she wants, but the more she thinks she's what she needs. 

The loud sound of familiar heels clacking against the floor had pulled Jinsoul out of her stupor and subsequently Haseul out of their makeout session. Jinsoul failed to notice it was getting a little heated since Haseul's hands weren't on the most innocent of places anymore. A very panicked Jungeun had met their gazes, her hands covering her eyes as she gave them a nervous smile. "H-hi sorry, I was just gonna go see...what's her name?"

"Jiwoo?" Haseul spoke up stifling her laughter as Jungeun only became more flustered. The doctor nodded her head quickly before mumbling something under her breath and leaving the scene. "She went the wrong way," Haseul said leaning her forehead on Jinsoul's shoulder, a puff of laughter leaving her as she shook her head in disbelief, Jinsoul stayed quiet pursing her lips. Haseul picked up her head and looked at the substitute with an arched brow. "What's up?"

"Nothing, she just seemed weird, I don't know." Jinsoul shrugged swatting Haseul's hands away from...where they were and began to walk back to the classroom once more. Haseul caught up to her grabbing her hand and swaying it as she always did.

"So, I told my dad I'm busy today."

"And...?"

"So, Chaewon's gonna be at her grandpa's-"

"Excuse me, we haven't even gone on a second date." Haseul punched Jinsoul's shoulder a little too hard and scoffed. She pouted rubbing her shoulder and sticking her tongue out at the shorter woman.

"No, you loser I'm just saying we can hang out if you want."

"Oh." They were a hallway away from the classroom but the line of antsy kindergartners returning to their classrooms was in their line of vision. Haseul deduced if she walked Jinsoul over she'd never hear the end of it from the other teachers who were currently giving them teasing glances from their positions outside their respective classes. She gave Jinsoul's hand a tight squeeze before looking to face her.

"So we're hanging out?"

"Of course."

"Cool, meet me in the janitor's closet."

"Wait, what? HASEUL WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY!?"

**. . .**

"Didn't you say you had a drinking problem in your twenties? What the hell are you doing with this?" Jinsoul asked reluctantly taking a swig from Jungeun's depressingly ironic 'I swear I'm not an alcoholic' flask filled with hard liquor. They were leaning against Minhyun's flashy black tesla in front of the Law Firm Vivi works in, waiting for Haseul to finish her meeting with said lawyer. Minhyun had gone to a convenience store down the block in hopes of finding some -- as he put it 'real food' to smuggle into the venue.

"I'm much more responsible now Ms. Jung," Junegeun replied sounding rather exasperated. "Besides, you're not gonna get to drink anything good besides watery, overly expensive, imported European wine that's probably not even from Europe." Jungeun tapped on the comically long cigarette holder in between her fingers (nothing was lit, of course, she's a doctor). Her hair cascaded down to one side in large waves, matching the Hollywood pin-up style that was popular in the forties. Her black sleeveless dress was fitted to her small waist stopping just shy of her knees. Jinsoul's was similar, though, instead of a v-neck that dipped scandalously low, her's had sort of a crew-neck collar. Though no one would ever know since they were both wearing trenchcoats that covered them to their ankles, only their heels visible to the public. The improv group was very into themes, and unfortunately for Jinsoul's wallet the theme this week was the fifties.

"You two sound like you don't like being rich." Jinsoul laughed a bit hoping it would mask her unintentional bitter tone.

"Now you're making me sound like an asshole." Jungeun took the flask from Jinsoul's hands taking another drink before putting it away in her pocket. 

"Well, it's a good thing sort of," Jinsoul began, linking their arms so they were closer together when a rather chilly gust of wind hit them. "It means you're not entitled, I'm glad." Jungeun shook her head and laughed looking down at her feet. Her face was getting rather red probably from the cold. "You know when I saw him all I could see was Yerim's face. Gosh, she looks so much like him." Jinsoul said recounting her first encounter with the C.E.O.

"You should see the rest of his family, I swear his genes are too strong." Jungeun shuddered, Jinsoul snorted nudging her side with her elbow. Not long after Haseul had appeared in a navy coatdress and a matching hat with black gloves Jinsoul swore was hers. She gave Jungeun a respectful smile and a small wave then went off to give Jinsoul a tight hug and a discreet kiss on the cheek before hugging her other arm. It was quite obvious Jungeun saw anyway since her already red face became redder as she looked at her shoes.

"Wow, ladies." Minhyun wolf-whistled, Jinsoul felt Haseul jump at his sudden appearance and she laughed. Jungeun let go of her arm to shove him with a playful glare on her face. He bowed slightly in Haseul's direction making sure not to drop anything from the giant bag of snacks he was currently hugging, his brown hair waving around in the wind. He wore a white evening dinner suit with a black bow tie and black shoes. If you looked hard enough you could see his hidden festive pumpkin sock that Jinsoul saw Jungeun grimace at too many times to count. "Let's get going shall we?"

The venue was small and dark decorated to look like a club from the 50s, a few round tables scattered behind the stage with expensive-looking table cloths and centerpieces. There was a small bar with a boy, who looked far too young, mixing drinks behind it. The air smelled strongly of cigar smoke and any smell you could describe as expensive. Everyone around them was dressed from head to toe in extravagant looking suits and dresses and jewelry that sparkled in the little light coming from the stage. A few attractive-looking men and one equally attractive woman entered the stage conversing as people began filling the venue. Jungeun, who was sat on Jinsoul's left, looked at her pointedly. "What?" She whispered.

"Look at the stage," Jungeun said through a clenched jaw before turning back to the stage with the fakest smile Jinsoul had ever seen her wear. When Jinsoul turned her head back to the stage, a man, who looked rather young compared to the others with him, was giving her the brightest smile she'd ever seen (that didn't belong to Jiwoo). Jinsoul forced a smile back in his direction before turning to Jungeun with a raised eyebrow. "Remember Eunwoo, the one who played Ross on Friends the musical?" Realization dawned on Jinsoul's face and her eyes felt like they were about to bulge out of their sockets.

"The one who was obsessed with me in Junior year?" Jungeun nodded covering her mouth as she giggled cutely at Jinsoul's expression.

"Care to share?" Haseul cleared her throat making Jinsoul flinch a bit. Haseul flipped off what she assumed to be Eunwoo and the table erupted into more giggles (except for Minhyun who was trying to figure out what to do with the cigar in his hands).

"Eunwoo's was the biggest drama geek in high school, he kept professing his love for Jinsoul in the cafeteria in Shakespearean language!" Jungeun explained clutching her stomach as she laughed loudly. Jinsoul pushed her lightly, shifting her body to hide behind Haseul when the younger woman gave her a threatening glare.

"You say that but I'm dead sure you had a crush on him. The look of jealousy on your face every time he'd come and talk to me." Jungeun gave her a questioning look before she began to blush profusely and stutter.

"N-no -- That wasn't...oh my god, seriously?"

"Yes! How could you not remember." Jungeun's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at her hands, she mumbled something inaudibly and it reminded Jinsoul of how she acted in the hallway yesterday. She stared at her wondering what was wrong but soon her attention shifted as the people on stage began asking for the audience's eyes.

**. . .**

**Tea Time**

**SunshineChuu: welcome**

**FindingJindori: AGAIN??**

**SunshineChuu: s h u s h**

**ChaewonsSlave: ...**

**Dumbass: Jiwooming~**

**Did you change my name? :)))))**

**FindingJindori: CHANGE IT BACK CHANGE IT BACK**

**SunshineChuu: I just wanted to know how things were doing with my favorite cousin and her...how do I say this**

**Dumbass: you don't.**

**SunshineChuu: teehee this is so fun**

**(Dumbass has left the group)**

**FindingJindori: she told me to tell you a bad word**

**SunshineChuu: stop texting on your date**

**FindingJindori: what-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha..this was a time-skip. To be frank, just ignore all the timestamps I haphazardly throw in these chapters. They're just horrible attempts at having some semblance of organization throughout the story but they don't matter at all....Just know, it's fall and like it's chilly so winter is coming. Like, if I put it in a timeline, the story would roughly start at the end of September and end in February or the start of March. Okay, happy new year! Hope you had a good read!  
> twt: @heekkiesdyke  
> cc: kimlipdyke


	9. Just Guys Being Dudes: The Sequel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just an uneventful, ordinary weekend with the crew. (Lies.)

"I hope you're having a good evening ladies and gents, but mostly ladies." A tall slender man spoke in a low purposefully sultry tone. He looked civil, his hair was kept and his suit was clean though the sleazy look in his eye contradicted his well-mannered aura. The venue was darker than it had been when they first arrived. The bright yellow stage lights replaced with dim blue mood lights. Jungeun had downed the rest of the liquor in her flask claiming she wouldn't laugh if she was sober, it was clear it was already getting to her since she laughed frighteningly loud at the man's one line causing people to turn heads in their direction. "Alright, it's good to see our regulars in the crowd today..." The audience laughed quietly. "Well let's bring out everyone, shall we?"

One by one the group from earlier had entered the stage, Jungeun inaudibly retched when she saw Eunwoo send a wink in their direction. The tall man had moved away from the mic stand, a small 'ladies first' could be heard leaving his lips as he motioned for one of the members to introduce themselves. An attractive woman with long black hair pushed past the men to reach the stand, flipping her hair in a sassy manner and side-eyeing them before she spoke. "I'm Song Hye-Kyo, the only tolerable person here." The woman rolled her eyes before making way for another person to go. A bright looking man with a teasing glint in his eye dramatically spun up to the mic before letting out a quiet 'Lee Joon-gi' and spinning away. The crowd applauded as he bowed and waved from his position.

"He's popular with the girls, he's a quote on quote mystery or something equally as cliche. I think he's just quiet," Jungeun whispered as she clapped along with the rest of the audience, Jinsoul nodded as a response. "He once asked me for my number. Only words he said the whole night."Jinsoul hummed nodding her head again as the clapping settled.

"Did you give it to him?" Jungeun rolled her eyes, taking a drink of wine from Minhyun's glass.

"I thought about it." She responded with a playful smirk, Jinsoul snorted returning her gaze to the stage. Eunwoo and a man named Gong Yoo were the last ones to introduce themselves before the tall man had reclaimed his position in front of the microphone. 

"And of course, everyone's favorite, I'm Lee Dong-Wook. But you beautiful can call me anytime." Haseul groaned at the man's excessive use of cheesy pick-up lines finishing off her rum and coke before asking Jungeun if she happened to stow away a bottle of tequila in her -- quote-unquote -- 'giant ass coat' (she did). Lee Dong-Wook had made his way down the stage, stopping in front of Minhyun and lighting his cigar. Waving away Jungeun's silent protests Minhyun takes a puff only to break out into a coughing fit, Dong-Wook pats his back nonchalantly before giving Haseul his attention. Another sleazy grin (that Jinsoul had half the mind to smack off) graces his handsome features as he sends her a wink. "Since this young man's guests are so beautiful I'll let him chose today's prompt." The audience applauds once more, a bright light shone on their table causing a very inebriated Haseul and Jungeun to hiss in pain.

"How about murder?" Haseul glowered at the tall man shielding her eyes from the harsh light, he only chuckled shaking his head to seemingly agree.

"Murder sounds nice." He returns to the stage, his colleagues pushing in chairs chatting quietly amongst themselves. A few moments pass and the woman leaves the stage along with Dong-Wook, leaving Eunwoo who was currently playing dead, Joon-gi and Gong Yoo pacing back and forth. The light shining on their table had turned off to Haseul's relief and had made it's way to the three people on stage.

"I can't believe you killed him!"

"It was an accident, I swear!" Joon-gi sat down on the chair looking horrified at Eunwoo's 'dead' body.

"Jesus man do you even know how much that rug cost me. If you're gonna kill somebody do it in your own house!" The crowd erupted into laughter. One of the busboys walks to their table, leaving a bottle of wine and a few more wine glasses. He whispers something into Minhyun's ear and leaves to serve others at their tables. Haseul and Jinsoul gave him a questioning look, though Jungeun was very focused on the wine bottle in his hands rather than how it got there.

"So, Dong-Wook might be interested in Haseul..." Minhyun said with an amused smile, Haseul only rolled her eyes snatching the bottle from the C.E.O's hands. From the short glance Jinsoul had of the bottle's label, she loosely read something written in sharpie about a mysterious woman being the most beautiful thing in this world.

"That is the most desperate thing I've ever read," Jungeun said leaning her whole body on Jinsoul to get a look at the wine bottle, in due course, blocking her view. "Do you think it'll get me drunk?"

"Jungeun, you reek of alcohol I think that's enough," Jinsoul said pinching her nose, shoving the younger woman off of me. A huff left the doctor's mouth, her bottom lip tutting out. Minhyun extinguished his barely smoked cigar patting his wife's back in pity. "Gosh, you're such a childish drunk." Jinsoul felt Haseul nudge her side harshly, she turned ger head around to meet her glare with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't be rude to Jungeunie, why aren't you drinking? It's not like you're driving." Haseul handed her, her new glass of wine and stared her down probably wanting Jinsoul to drink it all. Her face was red from all the alcohol intake and Jinsoul couldn't help but snort at the way her glare looked more childish and playful because of it. She took a sip of the wine, scrunching her nose at the sour taste. Before Jinsoul could even think about setting the glass down, Haseul tipped the bottom of the glass making sure she drank every last drop, Jungeun's loud laughing could be heard when she choked in surprise, Haseul hummed satisfied rubbing soothing circles on Jinsoul's back as she sputtered and heaved for breath. She looked in Minhyun's direction as she finally regained her composure, as the only other sober person at their table he gave her an understanding look.

As the night went on, the more bottles of wine were downed, and the more their laughter grew louder. In hindsight, the jokes told that night weren't even that funny though you would think otherwise from the cacophony of laughs and giggles coming from the table. "What do you mean I cheated on you?"

"I mean you stuck your parts in somebody that wasn't me!" An actor exclaimed causing Jungeun to roar with laughter, smacking Jinsoul's arm with the strength she didn't know she possessed.

"She cheated on her husband! That's hilarious!" Jungeun giggled wiping the tears off her eyes. The actors' voices were beginning to sound slurred, it was obvious they were as drunk as their audience. Gong-Yoo held a beer bottle in his hands swaying as he made his way off the stage. He pointed at Jungeun's direction laughing voraciously. 

"You've been laughing the loudest since we started!" He said suddenly breaking character causing his colleagues to groan. "You look very close to your friend here," He spoke again looking straight at Jinsoul. She was kind of in a drunken daze until that moment not aware that Jungeun was squeezing the life out of her arm.

"She's not just my friend, how disrespectful to assume." Jungeun slurred angrily, reaching for another sip of wine only for Minhyun to snatch the glass away. Jinsoul turned back to Gong Yoo waiting for him to continue talking, the rest of the actors were taking the time to interact with the audience.

"Is the man on you're left your husband?"

"Yes."

"But the woman on your right is not your friend?"

"Far from it." It was clear to the others at the table Jungeun was attempting to express that Jinsoul was, in fact, her best friend (i.e. more than a friend). Though because of her poor choice of words, the grin on Gong-Yoo's face grew -- probably not for any wholesome reasons. A shiver went down Jinsoul's spine as the actor continued to stare them down, most-likely creating scenarios in his head.

"She didn't mean it like that," Jinsoul spoke up but since her voice was hoarse and scratchy from the lack of use it was far too quiet to catch the actor's attention.

"This is quite an odd situation," The actor looks between the two of them, Jungeun was not catching on to the actor's dirty notions still very keen on finding alcohol around the table. "You two come up on stage and I'll buy you shots as a reward." Before Jinsoul could even register the request -- or rather the demand, Jungeun was already pulling her by the hand up the stage steps. An amused Gong-Yoo following close behind.

. . .

Jinsoul sat on a chair in the center of the stage next to the actress from earlier -- at this point, she was too drunk to remember anyone's names. She looked bored picking at the dirt under her nails though still elegant. Her back was straight and her legs were crossed, her plump red lips pursing as she combed her hand through her wavy locks. Yes, she was blatantly staring at her in front of an audience but Jinsoul's sure they were far too preoccupied watching the dramatic scene unfolding behind her to judge.

"How did I get in this situation? I never wanted this to happen!" Jungeun yelled frustrated, sounding as if she was on the brink of tears, somehow voicing Jinsoul's exact thoughts. The prompt given to them was originally 'beach date', but somehow it turned into 'cheating fiasco' in mere moments. Unsurprisingly, Jungeun was blowing the stage away with her talent while the actors kind of just watched in awe, sometimes piping up to feed the doctor's theatrical ranting.

"Don't act like the victim! You knew what you were doing!" It was the same line over and over again at this point. The actors were too drunk to come up with anything entertaining, though the audience didn't seem to mind since Jungeun was doing the job on her own anyway.

"I think they're running out of ideas." The older woman turned to Jinsoul surprised, she giggled at her shocked expression. "I'm drunk."

"Yeah, I noticed," She offered her hand to shake, Jinsoul took it giving the woman a polite smile. "What's your name?"

"Jung Jinsoul." The woman returned her smile, shifting her gaze to the audience. 

"Well, Jung Jinsoul your friend is pretty good at this."

"Yeah, I know! She's close to me like a little sister almost...we're like soulmates. Do you know how long we've known each other? Like almost twenty-years isn't that crazy? Do you know what else is crazy? She's got two kids, and she's a doctor, and she works in a lab sometimes. Oh yeah! She's married too! I have a roommate and I can barely do my laundry. It took me getting a job to realize my life is kind of falling apart and I have this bad feeling in my gut that I'm doing everything wrong and it makes me want to puke. I think I'm gonna puke-"

"NO!" The woman yelled startlingly loud silencing the others behind them. Everyone turned to look at the center of the stage where the two sat, waiting for the older woman to say something more. "I-I mean she's not cheating on her with Joon-gi or Eunwoo, i-it was Jinsoul."

"Who's Jinsoul?"

"I think Hye-Kyo means Mrs. Dopey Dwarf on her right..." Jinsoul furrowed her eyebrows at the insult, far too exhausted to retaliate only turning her body to face the others on stage.

"Oo, plot twist..." She said dryly, just wanting to go home at this point, the crowd gasps followed by thunderous clapping and cheering. The men behind them clap as well, as Jungeun bows dramatically sending flying kisses into the audience.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today. Drink, eat food, just enjoy yourselves, my friends!" One of the actors spoke. Jinsoul stood up shakily, following Jungeun and the rest of the actors off the stage returning to their table where a very perplexed looking Minhyun sat eating a bag of chips.

"I'm as confused as you are..." Jinsoul sat down in her spot chugging a bottle of water that Minhyun probably placed on the table for Jungeun. "Where's Haseul?"

"She went to the bathroom to throw up." Minhyun offered her a bag of chips, she declined, making a b-line to the bathroom. When Jinsoul got there it was empty apart from the handicapped stall at the very end, she knocked lightly on the door and not a moment later Haseul had unlocked the stall. She sat on the floor with her hands on her head groaning, Jinsoul sat next to her leaning her head on the shorter woman's shoulder.

"We're never doing this again," Haseul mumbles, removing her hands from her face and leaving a kiss on Jinsoul's head. "Too much drinking."

"Please don't even mention it I'll puke on you, I'm not kidding." Haseul laughs bringing her knees up to her chest. "I missed you today."

"You just spent the whole night with me!" 

"Yeah, but we didn't talk." Jinsoul pouted snapping her head off Haseul's shoulder to look her in the eye. She returned Jinsoul's gaze with an annoyed expression, leaning her head on her knees still maintaining eye-contact.

"Of course, you were all over Jungeun the entire time." A small teasing smile started growing on Jinsoul's face, Haseul groaned knowing full well where the conversation was going.

"Are you jealous, Haseulie?"

"Don't call me that, and I'm not jealous," She huffed angrily, hugging her knees tighter. "How could I be? It's not your fault she's one of your best friends, plus we're not even girlfriends." Jinsoul smiled adoringly placing a chaste kiss on her lips. She pulled back and furrowed her eyebrows, causing Haseul to give her a questioning stare.

"Have you been seeing anyone else?" Jinsoul asked sheepishly, Haseul smiled softly chuckling at Jinsoul's shyness.

She thought for a bit before responding. "No, no I haven't."

"Then, do you want to be?"

"God, you're such a lesbian..." Jinsoul scoffed pushing Haseul's shoulder causing the rest of her body to flail out of position, her elbows keeping her from falling flat on the cold ground. "Should I order a Uhaul too?" She smirked, her eyes narrowing in a teasing fashion.

"It was just a suggestion, you don't have to reject me so coldly!" Jinsoul lamented pouting, Haseul giggled returning to her position beside her.

"I'm not rejecting you...It'll also make the blow less hard on that Wong-dook character when I turn him down." Jinsoul hummed letting the silence fill the room. They heard footsteps enter the bathroom but quickly scurry off afterward probably feeling weird seeing two pairs of legs in one stall. "Minhyun is a good guy, Jungeun's lucky. You know he offered to hold my hair back when I said I wasn't feeling well, seriously the only man who deserves rights." Jinsoul nodded her head slowly, leaning all her body weight on Haseul's side.

"So we're girlfriends?"

"Is that seriously all you got from that?"

. . .

After another impromptu puke session and heartfelt drunken confessions that anybody will hardly remember in the morning (it's for the best anyway), Haseul and Jinsoul rejoined their favorite married couple at the bar. Jungeun had received her promised shots long ago and Minhyun was helping her sober up. Though the night was still young, drinking was no longer an option so the four of them settled for socializing with other improv-group-goers (?). Haseul stayed close to Jinsoul, trying to avoid getting hit on by Dong-Wook who was currently giving her heart eyes from across the room. A-very-much-still-drunk Jungeun was talking to him and the other actors. Probably about recruitment because Jungeun sort-of blew the house down with her performance.

"Do you think Minhyun can act?" Haseul asked downing a wine glass filled to the brim with what Jinsoul assumed was coke -- no girlfriend of her's would ever be caught dead drinking Pepsi.

"Maybe, Jungeun never really associated with talentless people."

"Really? Jungeun doesn't strike me as the type to be...you."

"Me, what does that mean?"

"You're an ass that's what I mean," Haseul teased, nudging Jinsoul's side with her elbow, she grumbled crossing her arms over her chest. Haseul noticed Jinsoul's sulky demeanor linking their arms together and leaving a soft peck on her lips. "Sometimes." 

"That's not making me feel any-"

"Ladies!" The deep voice of one Lee Dong-Wook had interrupted their conversation, his tall slim figure walking toward them.

"Shit.." Haseul cursed under her breath, pulling Jinsoul's body closer to hers. "Quick act like my girlfriend."

"I am your girlfriend." Haseul turned her face towards her sending her a threatening glare, though there was a very visible blush on her cheeks so it really wasn't that threatening.

"W-well, you're not acting like it. Why are you smiling like that? Crap, he's here. Shut up. Act normal."

"Wha-"

"Shush." Haseul's back straightened as she gave the tall man a forced smile. He bowed upon making eye contact with Jinsoul before turning to Haseul sending her a cheeky grin. It was surprisingly sweet, a stark contrast from his brazen pick-up lines and shameless (creepy) looks. He handed both of them a glass of soda claiming 'we've had enough alcohol tonight', Haseul had politely declined, though Jinsoul didn't hesitate to snatch the drink from the man's hands feeling her throat dry up (not in a good way) when she saw Eunwoo staring at her from across the room.

"I just wanted to pop over and say hi. I love meeting new fans." Jinsoul snorted, almost spitting out her drink. Haseul discreetly pinched her arm forcing her to awkwardly play off the sudden outburst with a few fake coughs and an apologetic smile. 

"Fans, yes, we are fans. I loved you in the pregnancy skit!" Jinsoul lied giving the man a dramatic ok gesture, she wasn't even sure there was a pregnancy skit to begin with. He smiled proudly, fixing the lapels on his tux his eyes returned to Haseul who only looked anywhere but his suggestive gaze.

"I think I fell in love."

"Do you?" Haseul said frantically looking at Jinsoul for help.

"What's your name, beautiful?" Haseul's hands moved from clutching her bicep to intertwining their fingers.

"Babe, I'm gonna go find Jungeun," Jinsoul gave Dong-Wook a hard stare and turned to Haseul leaving a purposefully lingering kiss on her lips. "Coming with?" Haseul smiled sweetly at her before turning to the shell-shocked actor.

"Sorry to cut our conversation short but my girlfriend isn't much of a patient person." Haseul cautioned, Jinsoul smiled at her ignoring the music teacher's unrelenting subtle jabs, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked over to Jungeun and the other actors at the other end of the room. On the way, Haseul dragged Minhyun out from his heated discussion on what beer goes best with Korean barbeque, getting a little annoyed he had barely talked to his wife the entire night (rightfully so).

"Mother of polygamy, what is this relationship!?!" Gong-Yoo shouted grabbing onto a disgruntled Eunwoo's collar shaking him roughly. Hye-Kyo shook her head pinching the bridge of her nose as she groaned in disgust.

"What? No! You've got the wrong idea!" Jungeun gave the man a bewildered expression, the rest of them broke out into giggles.

"Don't ruin poor Gong-Yoo's fantasies," Eunwoo spoke up pushing the older man off of him. He walked over to Haseul offering her hand, Haseul took it smiling respectfully when the interaction was over. "I'm Eunwoo, I'm sure Jinsoul's already told you about me."

"What, that you were an annoying classmate with a knack for poetry?" Eunwoo's smile faltered slightly, but he didn't bite back or scowl like Jinsoul assumed he would. He was known for his short temper on stage.

"Sounds about right," He laughs bitterly shooting Jinsoul a smile, she sent him an apologetic one in return. "I like it. That fire you've got, I didn't have that in high school makes sense she rejected me."

"Well, that and you know..." Jinsoul lifted their intertwined fingers with a proud smile on her lips, Eunwoo laughed with an understanding look in his eye. Haseul hid her face in her girlfriend's shoulder mumbling curses under her breath, she laughed wrapping an arm around her shoulders cooing softly. "No hard feelings right?"

"Of course not." He gives them both a smile, looking over his shoulder when loud boisterous laughter filled the quiet venue. "She's different." He chuckles lightly bringing his attention back to them.

"Not really, just drunk." Jinsoul looked in Jungeun's direction, a growing concern building up at the bottom of her stomach as she wobbled around like a baby giraffe learning how to walk. Haseul gasped when Jungeun toppled over, Minhyun just barely catching her. Before they could go help the woman, Eunwoo had walked in front of them blocking their way.

"You know I always thought the reason you never liked me was that you two were dating."

"What?" Eunwoo gave Jinsoul an amused look as if surprised she had no idea what he was talking about.

"I mean it's just -- you guys weren't? The way she looked at you all the time and she never stopped talking about you. There was a rumor she cried for three months after you left, it was clear to anyone in a five-mile radius she was head over heels for you, I honestly felt bad." His tone was mocking and it irked Jinsoul the slightest bit.

"I was her senior, and I acted as such. She looked up to me that was all." She concluded, Haseul probably sensing the tense atmosphere gave the man a kind smile before pulling Jinsoul away to make sure Jungeun was safe and alright. She wasn't, Minhyun had an arm around her waist keeping her upright so that she didn't fall. The doctor's face was pale and her body was missing some of its usual warmth and her eyelids were heavy with fatigue. Minhyun continued having a casual conversation with the younger woman making sure she didn't fall asleep before help arrived, the others did the same. Hye-Kyo already had her phone out to call for an ambulance, while others in the venue did the best they could to help.

"Jeez, how much did she drink?"

"Why the hell would you give her those shots?"

"Why'd you let me give her those shots!?" Various whispers could be heard as a crowd began forming around them, Haseul shooed a couple of people away yelling at everyone to give Jungeun space. Jungeun gave Jinsoul a sheepish smile as she made her way toward her, Jinsoul's heart stung as she watched her stumble awkwardly into her arms.

"Don't tell Soulie~" The shorter woman slurred nuzzling her nose in the crook of her best friend's neck.

"You seriously think she doesn't have feelings for you? Gosh, look at you two."

"Dude, can you screw off! Not the time for your conspiracy theories." Haseul cursed. The mischievous glint in Eunwoo's eyes only grew, obviously enjoying getting a rise out of everybody. That was another annoying thing about him, he loved the attention that came with acting a little too much and strived to get it even off the stage.

"Don't humor him, the brat won't stop otherwise." Hye-Kyo joined in, finishing the call with the operator on the other line. "Ambulance will be here soon." Jungeun had finally let go of Jinsoul's neck -- though a lot of tugging and whining was involved. Dong-Wook and Gong-Yoo had helped her sit down on a stool at the bar, handing her a glass of water and a plate of hors d'oeuvre (french for appetizer) in hopes it would slow down the alcohol absorption. She downed the water in one go and nibbled at the food Jinsoul sighed in relief when a little color began returning to her face, not enough for her anxiousness to completely leave her.

Eunwoo was irritating her, he hadn't said anything since Hye-Kyo had shut him up but his teasing glances proved he was planning something. Haseul was seething, cursing under her breath anytime he did something as minuscule as shifting in his seat. "Look at his stupid smirk! He wants to rile me up."

"He hasn't said anything bad he's just being annoying, don't pay attention to him."

"So help me god, if that asshole-"

"Haseul..." Eunwoo seemed to have heard the brunette's comment since he sent a wicked smile in the couple's direction. He wiped his striped vest straightening his blazer. Dong-Wook put a hand on the younger man's chest stopping him from walking any further. The older actor leaned in whispering something in his ear but Eunwoo's face only contorted into a scowl. Jinsoul rose her eyebrow at his sudden hostile behavior, other's seemed to notice as well sparing glances in his direction. Eunwoo pushed past Dong-Wook walking straight towards Jinsoul, Haseul attempted to intercept him but Hye-Kyo beat her to it.

"What are you going to do, punch a girl? Can you deal with this later, preferably when one of our customers isn't at risk of dying of alcohol poisoning, or do I have to call the cops too?"

"This has nothing to do with you-"

"Do I need to remind you who hired you in the first place? If it weren't for me and Dong-Wook you would've never stepped on a stage again. I'm trying to protect you." The anger in Eunwoo's eyes softened for just a moment only for it to return a second later. Hye-Kyo sighed shaking her head moving out of the way, Jinsoul felt Haseul tighten her grip on her hand. Eunwoo hesitantly walked past the actress to reach them, his twisted smirk continuing to grow each step he took.

"Don't look so frightened I'm not gonna do anything," He stopped a few feet away from Jinsoul, she wasn't afraid to get jumped or anything his eyes looked sincere and apologetic. Lee Joon-gi, who was barely present the entire night, stood on her other side his jaw-clenched and eyes piercing as he stared Eunwoo down. There was a story between the actors and Eunwoo, She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it. Jinsoul looked over Eunwoo's shoulder, an EMT had arrived and was helping Jungeun, another volunteer was dragging a stretcher into the building. Minhyun looked Jinsoul's way giving her a thumbs up before raising his eyebrow, silently asking if she needed help. Jinsoul waved him away but he stayed put watching Eunwoo as he spoke. As Haseul would say 'the only man who deserves rights'. 

"So are you gonna tell me what's wrong? We're kind of on a tight schedule here if you hadn't noticed." Jinsoul sneered, her sight not leaving Jungeun and the EMT.

"You know I never liked Jungeun, I didn't understand how someone so nice could have such a strong bond with someone like her," He side-steps blocking Jinsoul's view. "She was a bully you know? She'd bully me, anytime I'd get close to you, she'd take me to the side and spout mean words, the very thing you despised. I always liked that about you -- you didn't like bullies. You always preached karma would get to them, that they'd pay. That's why I didn't care when I found out how successful she became -- with her picture-perfect family. I knew she never got what she really wanted. Maybe she's changed but she still got her karma."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I just wanted you to see how little you know about your bitchy friend." He snapped, Jinsoul exhaled shakily her fists clenched. Haseul pulled at her sleeve, trying to get her to leave but she ignored her. In a fit of rage, Jinsoul's hand found it's way across Eunwoo's face. A few gasps could be heard ringing out around them before the room went silent. He chuckled as he clutched his cheek, Joon-gi had moved from his spot beside Jinsoul, standing in between the both of them like a divider. "Whoo, that's gonna leave a bruise."

"You disgust me."

"Do I, Jinsoul?" His face turned sullen, he moved closer only for Joon-gi to push him back. "You and I are the same and you know that. You stood up for me because I reminded you of yourself, that's what you told me. Do you know what she called me, Jinsoul? She called me an unlovable bastard, sound familiar?" Jinsoul stayed silent, attempting to will away memories she thought she'd forgotten. Jinsoul looked around the room, Minhyun and Jungeun were nowhere to be found, they probably made it to the hospital already. Somewhere along the way, most likely when the married couple left, the crowd had moved its attention towards them. Jinsoul cleared her throat awkwardly, as on-lookers anticipated her next move. She walked past Eunwoo aggressively knocking their shoulders. The crowd had split, making a walkway for her to pass. She heard the hurried clacking of heels following her out into the hall a short time after, she had assumed it was Haseul. Jinsoul turned around ready to hear an earful about how she could've handled the situation better but instead was met with an apologetic stare from a different woman entirely.

"Does that happen all the time?" Hye-Kyo smirked.

"No, that was the first..." Jinsoul rubbed her nape sheepishly.

"Look, whatever he said and whatever he meant by it doesn't mean anything, alright? You've got a good heart and there's not a doubt in my mind that you'll make it. This is just a bump in your story, Jinsoul. Work hard, put yourself out there, and don't listen to jerks like him." She gave Jinsoul a reassuring smile, patting her back. Jinsoul respectfully bowed whispering a few thank-yous, and stood up straight once more with a large grin suddenly feeling much better, she laughed. Jinsoul felt her cheeks warm at the memory of her embarrassing ranting from a few hours ago."Promise me one thing though. Never settle for easy, it's the only way you'll live up to your potential." Jinsoul nodded as a response, sensing there was more to the promise than just a simple wish of good luck but not wanting to intrude.

"Thank you again."

"No problem...Oh yeah, and we should head inside, we might miss your girlfriend beating the crap out of Eunwoo."

"Deserve. Oh shit, wait no-"

. . .

"I'm driving it."

"This thing cost more than the both of us combined, there is no way in hell I'm letting your drunk ass drive."

"You're drunk too!"

"Less than you!"

"That makes zero sense." Haseul had left Eunwoo with a black eye, though he promised not to sue them for assault as long as the couple didn't sue him or the club venue for harassment. The crowd inside had applauded after they reconciled thinking the whole thing was an elaborate play, one of them even asked for Jinsoul's autograph. It was pretty dramatic and out of the blue so she didn't blame them. After they made sure nobody was going to jail their next mission was to get to the hospital. Minhyun had left them his keys before he left, according to Gong-Yoo, and the pair were currently fighting over who was least likely to get them into a car accident. Well, that is until a familiar red-head (and friends) had showed up to end their bickering. 

"Hello, my beautiful angels!" Jiwoo cooed wrapping them both in a tight embrace. Haseul yelped at her sudden appearance smacking her off of them.

"What the hell are you doing here??"

"Well, Minhyun called us to come!"

"All three of you?" Jinsoul quipped in, raising her eyebrow at an embarrassed looking Vivi and a smug as ever Sooyoung.

"I came for the tea!" Sooyoung said proudly, Jiwoo cringed at her sudden use of slang. "Vivi came for Jungeun, I mean so did I but mostly for the tea."

"My apartment is two blocks down, Vivi was dropping off Heejin for 'Auntie Jiwoo weekend fun time' when Hyun Senior called."

"Hyun Senior?" Haseul furrowed her brows at the strange nickname.

"Yerim's older sister named Hyunjin, everyone calls her Hyun for short. So Hyun Senior, Hyun Junior." Jinsoul supplied, Haseul hummed in understanding. 

"C'mon get in the unnecessarily flashy car, it's not gonna drive itself!" Jiwoo exclaimed with a bright smile. The three of them exchanged knowing looks while Jiwoo racked her brain around what she had just said. "Gosh, rich people are lazy. You know what I mean, let's go."

They made it to the hospital in one piece, though in more than the needed time. Jiwoo was far too busy having fun with the fancy controls to focus on getting to their destination. Though with enough insistence they'd finally convinced her that seeing her cousin was more important than how loud the speakers could play Ocean Man. When they arrived Minhyun was there to greet us, ensuring that Jungeun was indeed still alive. Jungeun had been the only thing on Jinsoul's mind the entire time, selfishly, for more reasons than one. Sooyoung, Vivi, Haseul, and Jinsoul were sitting patiently in the waiting room since we weren't allowed in. If it weren't for Sooyoung stepping in, Jiwoo would've attacked the doctor when he told them they couldn't see her because they weren't relatives, though Jinsoul supposes it's nice to know Jiwoo considers them like family.

Sooyoung was sleeping soundly with her legs messily sprawled over a vexed Haseul's lap. Jinsoul laid her head on Haseul's shoulder trying to sleep herself, though thoughts of previous events were actively plaguing her mind, forcing her to stay awake. Instead, she played idly with Haseul's fingers listening to Vivi's worried ranting while she was on the phone with whom could only be Heejin. 

"You okay?" Haseul asked squeezing Jinsoul's fingers lightly.

"Perfectly fine..." Her tone was dry and borderline lifeless, she didn't even try to make her response believable. Haseul scoffed at her girlfriend's blatant lie, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and tucking her head under her chin.

"She's gonna be okay."

"I would've killed Minhyun otherwise."

"Then if you're not worried...what's up?" Jinsoul stayed silent for a moment trying to collect her thoughts into coherent sentences. She was planning on telling her about her parents just not this soon. But she supposes since the topic arose and she essentially walked into this conversation Haseul had the right to hear some kind of explanation.

"I'm the unlovable bastard Eunwoo was talking about."

"What? Don't say that."

"Fine, I'm the by-product of a love affair. An illegitimate child." Jinsoul chuckled joylessly, she moved her head off Haseul's shoulder so I could look her in the eyes, concern and worry were the only emotions present in them. "My birth mother died after I was born, apparently a relative left me on my parent's doorstep with a note. Bet you could guess what it said. It's kind of funny though, don't you think? A man cheats on his pregnant wife and the consequences followed him...t-that's not what's bothering me though."

"What is it?"

"When I was younger I used to get made fun of because I was different. A mistake -- that's what my dad said. My mom, I wasn't her kid biologically but she treated me with love, my brother did too. I had a loving family, for the most part, they protected me. My brother, Jaehyun, got suspended once for getting in a fight for me." I heard Haseul giggle airily, Jinsoul smiled at the sound sighing contently as she laced their fingers together. "I haven't really spoken to them since I graduated college but the point is they taught me that I'm better than that -- better than them. I guess it kind of irks me, even if it was a long time ago, that Jungeun was like that. Especially since there was a point in my life where I thought she was everything. I might have been her senior but I looked up to her. I still do."

"Don't you think you should hear her side?" Haseul mumbled furrowing her eyebrows.

"What?"

"I'm not saying that Eunwoo kid is lying or anything, but I know Jungeun...sort of. Well, I know she wouldn't betray you, let alone, hurt you even with a gun to her head. So, all I'm saying is you should talk to her."

"I will don't worry."

"Okay good, It'd be weird if you guys were awkward. The fabric of time would rip if the universe's favorite besties weren't besties, you know?" Haseul beamed, Jinsoul snorted at her weirdness placing a kiss on her cheek. She returned to her spot on Haseul's shoulder, letting the silence settle in. Well, not silence, Vivi was still talking up a storm and Sooyoung's snoring was pretty loud too. A few moments had passed and Haseul cleared her throat garnering her attention, Jinsoul rose her eyebrow at her hesitant gaze. "Do you think she liked you?"

"Oh my gosh, you are jealous."

"No, I'm not, It's a question!" The brunette huffed rolling her eyes.

"I don't know. Even if she did it doesn't change anything now, right? She's married and I have you."

"Cheesy," Haseul grimaced, Jinsoul laughed shoving her lightly. Haseul pursed her lips leaning further into the hospital bench, staring at nothing in particular for a brief moment before looking at her once more. "So if things were different do you think...?" She trailed off, Jinsoul understood where she was going. She opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. She looked over to the closed hospital door where she could just barely see Jiwoo brightly smiling and scrunched her nose in deep thought. She'd never thought of Jungeun as anything other than a little sister. She supposed she never saw Jungeun as someone she could love (in that way) because she never thought it was a possibility.

Sometimes Jinsoul would think back on memories she had with Jungeun, memories where the lines of platonic and romantic were blurred. When her stares were too deep or her touch lingered for too long. Maybe she'd fall in love with Jungeun if things were different. If she failed that calc final like Jungeun told her to, or if they kept in contact after she graduated. If Jinsoul didn't pass off all of their interactions as purely platonic, or if she saw Jungeun as a woman rather then the little underclassman who followed her around that she swore she'd protect. What's worse was that maybe Jinsoul was starting to see that world Yerim was talking about. That world where Jungeun never met Minhyun and she selfishly had her all to her own, maybe that's what she wanted all this time. Maybe she just wanted Jungeun but it was far too late when she finally realized. 

A few minutes of silence passed by and Minhyun and Jiwoo had come out of the hospital room with bright smiles. Vivi had finished her phone call and Sooyoung had sturred awake. Jinsoul still felt Haseul's sharp gaze at the side of her head, her arm hand had left her's and had found its way on her shoulder shaking Jinsoul out of her trance. Jinsoul met her gaze again, a small smile played on her lips, the music teacher's eyes had that same look they always did. The look that told her everything's going to be okay without saying a word. She smiled back brighter and somehow Jinsoul had forgotten everything that pulled her into that whirlwind of emotions like it never happened.

"No, I wouldn't."

. . .

A day passes and Jungeun calls Jinsoul early in the morning asking if she could pick her up after she's been discharged. On Saturday Jinsoul forgot that the kind and well-mannered Minhyun was indeed the same C.E.O who tended to put work before his family. Or as Vivi kindly put it: a serious ass. Now Jinsoul was sitting in an uncomfortable chair with an incredibly tacky visitor's badge stuck to her tee-shirt while she waited patiently for the younger woman to leave the shower. When she did finally peek through the bathroom door Jinsoul had already made it through five levels of candy crush. Her wet hair was tied up into a messy bun, visible water stains had adorned her grey hospital-logo sweatshirt and her over-sized black sweatpants engulfed her questionable choice of bright red socks and Chaco sandals. If Jinsoul could describe it in two words it would probably be something along the lines of bum chic.

"You look like shit." Jungeun deadpanned packing up her duffel bag with her toiletries, a small grin gracing her features. The bags under Jinsoul's eyes and the intolerable headache sucking the life from her forced her to agree with the doctor's findings.

"Says the one admitted in the hospital." Jinsoul got up out of the chair and pocketing her phone leaving to join Jungeun. Upon noticing her presence she moved over a bit handing Jinsoul a few extra clothes to fold. "Jiwoo overpacked."

"If that's what you call stuffing an entire drawer into a bag then sure." Jungeun joked, Jinsoul giggled quietly at the thought of the red-head. Gently placing the folded clothes into heir original spot she waited for Jungeun to look at her, concern bubbling at the pit of her stomach. "Can I ask why you're drilling holes in the side of my head?" Jungeun said with a raised eyebrow turning her head slightly to finally return Jinsoul's gaze.

"Don't do that again." She turned her body fully, setting a hand on her hip looking dreadfully pretty with an amused smirk. Jinsoul was suddenly hyper-aware of how Jungeun's eyes traveled up and down her figure looking a little bit too longingly. 

"I can handle myself, Jinsoul."

"Look where that got you," she rebuked, silently cursing herself for being so affected by the way the water from her hair dripped down Jungeun's neck extra slow. She was supposed to be lecturing her on her bad decisions, certainly not thirsting over her. Thirsting over Jungeun, a married woman, her best friend -- something that she shouldn't need to remind herself of. "What were you thinking?"

"So I didn't keep track of how much I drank, it's not a big deal. It won't happen again."

"You almost died, do you even know how pale you looked? Everyone was shitting their pants when you collapsed but you wouldn't remember that."

"Yes, and I feel terrible. Now, are we done?" The younger woman let out an exasperated sigh, zipping the duffel bag shut and placing the strap over her shoulder all in a purposefully aggressive fashion. Her cheeks puffed angrily as she shifted her attention to the boring white walls of the hospital room, sending them a half-hearted glare that was likely meant for Jinsoul. Her drinking habits were obviously a touchy subject. "I don't need your lecture Jiwoo already had that covered."

"It serves you right, you can't afford to be stupid anymore Jungeun." Jinsoul scoffed snatching the bag away from her and lugging it over her shoulder. She gave Jungeun a teasing grin before making her way out of the hospital room. Jungeun had followed after her linking their arms together, as a result, forcing Jinsoul to ignore the heat making it's way up her neck as they walked to the front desk. A cute looking secretary that some-what resembled a baby bear peaked her head out of the stacks of papers, doing a double-take when she realized Jungeun's presence.

"Dr. Kim, I'm afraid you're in the wrong ward."

"I don't work on weekends Secretary Kang." Jungeun rolled her eyes pursing her lips in disinterest. The secretary rose her eyebrows returning her attention to the large stack of papers on her desk and beginning to organize them into neat piles.

"Oh, then what are you doing here? Did you hear about your coffee machine?"

"What about my coffee machine?" Jungeun sneered through clenched teeth. Secretary Kang paused her movement looking up from the stack of papers with her mouth agape and eyes wide with terror. Jinsoul held in a chuckle at her expression finding the interaction kind of funny.

"Who's your friend?"

"Kang, what happened to my coffee machine?"

"Hi, I'm Kang Seulgi, Dr. Kim's favorite secretary nice to meet you." The secretary reached over her desk offering up her hand, Jinsoul took it shooting her a smile.

"Jung Jinsoul."

"Oo pretty~" Seulgi gushed turning to Jungeun with a cheeky glint in her eye. "She single?"

"Stop hitting on her and sign me out so I can leave this hell!"

"Wait, why'd you get admitted? I thought Secretary Hirai wasn't allowed in the labs anymore." Jungeun glared at the girl and it didn't take long for her to scramble into her office chair, sliding over to the computer and begin to vigorously type at it. "Jeez fine. What's your name again?"

"Seriously, Kang."

"Yes, seriously. I've been calling you Dr. Kim for so long I'm half-convinced it's your entire name," Seulgi said sarcastically, though her soft smile proved there was no malice behind her words. It was clear the two colleagues were close despite their cat and mouse dynamic. Seulgi bid them goodbye giving Jungeun a sloppy kiss on the cheek (to the doctor's disgust) and sending Jinsoul a flirty wink -- or weirdly exaggerated blink. They walked in silence -- well, Jungeun did, Jinsoul was very adamant on ranting about how hard it was to find parking. They'd finally found her less-than-beautiful blue Prius after an unnecessarily large amount of walking, Jungeun gave it a once-over before entering wordlessly.

"Sorry it's not a Volkswagen, but it does the job," Jinsoul said buckling her seat belt, getting ready to wrestle with the key to start up the car. "I would make you sign a waiver but I'm gonna go ahead and assume you've got good health insurance."

"Please, good health insurance in this economy? Though, must I say, the thrill makes the car all the more appealing." She joked patting the dashboard affectionately. As they drove along the streets as soft pop-tunes had begun playing in the background. Both of them had been primarily silent aside from Jungeun's quiet humming and Jinsoul's constant drumming on the steering wheel when waiting for traffic to pass got a bit too boring. Jungeun's house was quite far since she lived out in the suburbs, like Vivi, instead of in the city, like the rest of them. Fifteen minutes or so had passed and they still had a large amount of time to kill before they finally reached their destination.

There was a lot Jinsoul wanted to talk about, though confrontation never was apart of her vast skill set. So instead she welcomed the silence with open arms hoping Jungeun didn't notice how thick with tension the atmosphere was. But the gods of global positioning systems were not on her side and decided to lead her straight into suspiciously heavy traffic. As time went by and the coca-cola truck (that Jinsoul was currently staring at like it was the most enchanting thing in the world) didn't seem to be moving an inch, Jungeun grew antsy. It was clear she was thinking hard about what she wanted to say, on any given day Jinsoul would've thought her furrowed eyebrows and puffed cheeks were cute but right now they were her worst fear.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" She finally broke the silence looking out the window with her chin in her palm. It was sort of cinematic, how somber she looked, but Jinsoul didn't have the energy to talk about movie tropes and why The Perks of Being a Wallflower was an underrated piece of art (period). "It's just that I know you probably didn't drink too much. Just wondering if I did anything stupid to kill the night."

"Besides almost dying of alcohol poisoning?"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Sorry's not gonna cut it." Jinsoul laughed softly, smiling at the glaring younger woman. She focused her attention back to the road rubbing her hands together trying to generate some warmth amid the chilly fall air flooding into the car. "Last night was sort of a blur but I don't think you did anything stupid...maybe joined an improv group."

"Oh, so I did do something dumb, got it." Jinsoul could still feel Jungeun's eyes on her making her ever more self-conscious. A few silent seconds pass before she felt slender fingers reaching out to remove loose strands of raven hair away from her face. Jinsoul flinched away at the touch, yelping in surprise, though Jungeun was not fazed simply continuing to groom her like a cat did a kitten. Panicking at the sudden display of affection, Jinsoul quickly grabbed the younger woman's wrist effectively stopping her in her tracks. Jungeun looked at the older woman with a bemused expression before slowly retracting her hand from the vicinity of her face awkwardly.

"Y-you shouldn't do that."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm driving, Jungeun. What if we got in a car accident? You said it yourself your health insurance isn't good!" Jinsoul argued, sounding stupider than intended completely forgetting she hasn't driven even a little in the past ten minutes and it didn't seem like she would anytime soon either. She regretted it, even more, when Jungeun continued to stare at her like she was an extra-terrestrial being coming to abduct her.

"I'm sorry... i-is something wrong?" For some reason, her cluelessness was enough to flip a switch, even though Jinsoul knew I shouldn't be mad at her for not knowing she was currently the route to all her problems (some that will stay unsaid). 

"Oh, what makes you think that? Of course, something's wrong Jungeun!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, it's just me no need to act like the world is melting."

"Jungeun, the world is melting! And you are the problem!"

"I-I am?"

"Yes!" Jinsoul spat, sighing loudly in frustration. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened when uncomfortable silence followed her outburst. Staring down at her whitening knuckles she sighed once again in exasperation, wishing an eighteen-wheeler would just come and run her over right now. "You're infuriating you know that? First, you're crying in the bathroom driving me nuts, then you're getting shit-faced drunk so much so you end up in the fucking hospital. Don't even get me started on the fact that Eunwoo said y-you bullied him? Even after everything I told you -- how I hated that stuff, a-and that you liked me. But not in a friend type of like, like, a love type of like, a-and that's just absurd-"

"What?"

"Huh, I-I mean...nevermind." The car was silent once more though cars seemed to be starting to move though not fast enough to Jinsoul's irritation. She stiffened when she felt Jungeun's hand rest on her shoulder, Jungeun noticed clearing her throat awkwardly and moving away once more.

"Look at me, Soul."

"I'm driving-"

"Just, look at me." She commanded with the slightest amount of bite in her tone. Jinsoul reluctantly turned her head to face her, unsurprisingly Jungeun was looking at her with concern. "Do you want to hear the truth?"

"Y-yeah that sounds nice..." Jinsoul responded trying not to look at her eyes for too long, especially since there was obvious hurt buried in them. Jungeun smiled at her bitterly, looking down at her lap nervously scratching her neck sighing before she began to speak.

"I'm sorry about all that...it's just -- life's been a little hard and I've been feeling guilty because it's pretty much my fault. And the Eunwoo thing I, uh, he just caught me in a bad moment one day and he was making me jealous going on about how you accepted his flowers. It happened one time and I apologized immediately afterward. The words I said that day were pretty harsh so it makes sense why he never forgave me. I'm sorry if you felt betrayed, I don't want anything from the past to affect us now."

"Okay, it won't," The atmosphere continued to be awkward and it was clear they weren't done talking. There was still one more thing that needed to be clarified. "You were jealous...because you liked him, right?"

"No, because I liked you."

"Oh...so that's why your relationship with Minhyun is weird. You're gay-"

"No. No, I'm not gay."

"Bi? Pan? Questioning?"

"Jinsoul, I don't like girls."

"But you liked me?"

"Yes, it was just a little crush. You were like my idol in high school those things happen, that's all."

"Okay...?"

"Okay." Jungeun huffed turning her attention back to the window. Jinsoul examined her dejected figure and couldn't help but think something was going on. But that's how Jungeun is...at least now. One thing that hadn't changed though, the doctor had a horrible habit of building walls around herself and someone always had to come in with a sledgehammer just to break-in. Jinsoul opened her mouth to question her more, though a honk had interrupted her. She turned to the road to find that the suspiciously heavy traffic had cleared miraculously. She furrowed her eyebrows at how oddly purposeful this all seemed and wondered if she should start praying to her GPS. Jinsoul shook herself out of her thoughts and continued their silent drive. The air was lighter, though she still had an itch something was terribly wrong.

. . .

SunshineChuu: and the plot thickens...

ThatOneGemini: Uh- what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi...I don't know what to say for this lol. Hope you had fun reading.  
> twt: @heekkiesdyke  
> cc: kimlipdyke


	10. Is This Allowed???

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jungeun wonders what happened to 'bros before hos'.

Vivi and Haseul stare at each other in silence, the air is thick with an unfamiliar tension. A few weeks after Haseul had filed to become the permanent legal guardian of Chaewon, unsurprisingly the judge had appointed their best child advocate on the case. Of course, she was the only child advocate available but in Haseul's mind, she was certainly number one. She was also, unfortunately, number one on Haseul's list of things to worry about -- which brings us to the present. It's a week before Heejin's birthday and a few weeks after Jinsoul and Haseul had officially become an item. Chaewon had already finished her mandatory 'check-up' with the lawyer and was probably off playing legos with another kid in the waiting room as the two adults conversed privately...well, they were supposed to be conversing privately.

Vivi shifted awkwardly in her office chair, folding her hands over a small haphazardly thrown pile of papers. "You never told me Jinsoul was your girlfriend."

"Relax, it's new," Haseul reassured, glad that the silence was finally broken. She pursed her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you bringing this up now, aren't we supposed to be talking about the case?"

"Haseul, the case is fine, you know that... " A frustrated groan leaves the younger woman's lips before she retaliates.

"What'd you expect, Vivi? I'm indebted to you for all that you've done for me and Chaewon, but it was just a few lonely nights. I'm sorry to say this but it was a mistake."

"Look, I get it, I'm not trying to steal you from Jinsoul or anything we're adults, aren't we? I just didn't want things to be weird, cause I know things are weird."Vivi's voice is sincere but she'd be lying if she said Haseul's words didn't hurt her, even in the slightest. Sure, she understands that their relationship shouldn't breach anything past mere friendship, especially now, though she wouldn't go as far as to call their shared nights a mistake. With a sigh, she rids her mind of unwanted thoughts and shoots the music teacher the friendliest smile she can muster. "Plus, Jinsoul's a good person...I think."

"You think?"

"Well, I don't have much of an opinion, we've only interacted a few times outside of Jiwoo's extensive amount of group chats. The point is I think she's good for you and Chaewon, I have my doubts by default though. Besides I'm pretty sure she didn't acknowledge my existence till about a week or two ago so minus five points for Hufflepuff." Haseul snorted rolling her eyes at Vivi's nerdy humor, a stark contrast from her usual poised and professional lawyer persona.

"If you knew Jinsoul you'd know she's a Slytherin." Haseul retorts, letting the comfortable silence set in. Vivi takes a small sip from her signature pink mug filled to the brim with coffee before shooting Haseul a tight-lipped smile.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you think she's good for you?" Another beat of silence goes by before Vivi corrects herself. "And Chaewon, that is."

"I mean, I don't know, isn't it too early to think about that stuff? She's good with Chaewon, and she takes care of her well. Wonnie would never admit it, but she cares about Jinsoul too..." Haseul smiles contently holding her chin in her elbow, looking dreamily at nothing in particular probably reminiscing about the strange duo. "Though, since you asked, I think she's great for me. She's a little weird and childish...and dramatic and borderline infuriating sometimes, but she tries her best for me and she cares about me. But then again only time will tell...plus when she spends the night she stays and makes me breakfast."

Vivi glares playfully. "Low blow..."

"Don't beat yourself up, it was just a bowl of Cocopuffs."

"And you were impressed?"

"Her ratio is mastery level." Haseul chuckled, shortly Vivi followed suit, and the room was filled with giggles that soon turned into roaring laughter. Why? Neither party had any idea. Maybe Jinsoul's implied talent of cereal making was a lot funnier than it initially seemed. Or maybe Vivi's laughter was a tad bit more infectious than Haseul would've liked. Either way when they settled down the tension that they thought had disappeared had returned worse than before. Vivi's smile fades completely morphing into a painfully dejected expression. She takes another sip of her coffee with a distant look in her eye. Just when the lawyer was about to get up from her seat Haseul beats her to it, grabbing the woman's wrist before she can move any further.

"Haseul-"

"In a different world, maybe."

"What?"

"We could be together I mean, in a different world. Vivi, it's not that I don't like you I do, you were just-"

"Too slow?"

"Yeah..." Haseul breathes out settling back in her seat, Vivi does the same a shy smile gracing her features.

"Let's go out for lunch sometime." The music teacher scoffs dramatically, amusement visible in her eyes as she raises her eyebrow. "As friends."

"Oh, no, I got that part. It's just I don't do friends."

"Pretentious much?"

"I'm just saying I don't have any friends!"

"Not like that you don't!" Vivi chided shaking her head in faux disapproval. This time, when Vivi gets up Haseul doesn't stop her, rather watching as the suit-clad woman walks over to the door and places her hand on the doorknob. "So, what's Jiwoo and the dream team?"

"Jiwoo's more like a trusted advisor and I know Sooyoung and Jinsoul by extension." Haseul confidently stated getting up from her seat to face the lawyer more comfortably.

"Fine, I guess I'll be your first friend. Next Sunday at eleven sound good?"

"Sounds awful."

"Perfect!" Vivi beams brightly, finally opening the door of her office. She moves to the side and jokingly motions for Haseul to step-out much like a victorian gentleman would. The music teacher giggles as she walks through the doorway, she sends Vivi a small smile (which is returned) and makes her way to the play area where Chaewon was indeed playing with legos. Much to the blonde girl's annoyance, she picks her up into her arms and makes her way to the elevators lining the walls of the department.

As the duo waited for the elevator Haseul let her thoughts wander about for a few moments. She made a mental note of going to the toy store to buy a gift for Heejin and find that Gundam that Jinsoul's been whining about. Haseul only met Heejin once, by chance, when she caught the ten-year-old playing her guitar after school hours. At first, she assumed Heejin was a new student looking to join the jazz club as an extracurricular, it was soon revealed she just got lost trying to find a faster way to Jinsoul's class.

"I'm not a very good runner, but Hyun says I've gotta buy her lunch tomorrow if I lose the race."

"Don't you play soccer?"

"I'm not very good at that either." 

Haseul laughed at the memory recalling how Heejin called her auntie despite it being their first meeting. A few days after the event, Vivi had visited her unannounced with an invitation to the young girls proclaimed 'Super Fun Amazing Birthday Bash'. Unfortunately, the lawyer caught her on a particularly lonely day, and without Chaewon or Jinsoul there to keep her busy...to keep it pg lets just say there was a noise complaint or two from the neighbors. Thankfully the elevator rang to alert Haseul of its arrival, subsequently pulling her out of her thoughts now that her mind was charting into particularly dangerous territory.

Vivi being the usual unpredictably fascinating enigma she is had suddenly ran into the elevator just before the doors had closed. She was smiling smugly as if she'd won something and Haseul hated to admit how much it made her insides churn.

"Can I help you, Vivi?"

"Huh? Oh no, I'm just, you know...on lunch break." Vivi giggled mischievously as she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Oh yeah! Haseul?"

"Yes?"

"Ever read The Tortoise and the Hare?"

"Yes...why?"

"Then you would know, slow and steady wins the race."

. . .

Jungeun idly waited in the halls of Jinsoul's apartment complex, one hand occupied with a large black bag filled to the brim with the older woman's clothing and the other with her phone.

. . .

Jiwooming: you're simping

Jungie: I'm not simping I'm married

Jiwooming: you can be married /and/ a simp :)

. . .

Upon the discovery that Jinsoul was indeed staring at her bug-eyed from the threshold of her apartment, somehow making a coffee-stained cropped tank top and lemon shorts look sexy, Jungeun almost dropped her phone in surprise. Luckily, the doctor had enough self-control to hide her flustered reaction, thus saving her phone, though, unfortunately for her, not enough to stop her palpitating heartbeat and sweating palms. Jungeun gave Jinsoul a wary smile, stuffing her phone in her sweat pants pocket before getting ready to explain herself.

"That's not a body, is it?" Jinsoul whispered sticking her head out into the halls and looking around to see if anyone was there to eavesdrop.

"What? No! It's your clothes, you weirdo!" Jungeun spat shoving the bag into the girl's arms. 

"How'd you get them!?"

"Sooyoung gave me her spare key."

"That back-stabbing mother flubber," Jungeun raised her eyebrow questioningly letting out a small giggle. "What?"

"Interesting choice of words." Jinsoul shrugged nonchalantly, moving to let the shorter woman inside the small apartment. Jungeun wordlessly followed her into the quaint living room, where a pretty girl with strikingly fair skin sat on the black leather couch greeting the doctor with a bright smile.

"Dahyun, this is my friend, Jungeun. Jungeun, this is my roommate, Dahyun." Jungeun bowed, politely returning her smile, though the irrational part of her brain was jealous Jinsoul was living with such a charming looking girl for who knows how long. "We'll be in my room folding laundry, yell if you're getting murdered. Oh, and tell me when Sana gets here, I expect spring rolls!"

"Yes ma'am!" Dahyun exclaimed frantically waving the two away ensuring she would be fine. The two entered Jinsoul's bedroom, which closely resembled the aftermath of a college fraternity party. There were pieces of garbage littered around the floors, the bed was unmade, blankets were thrown to the floor forgotten, random solo cups with unnamed substances collected on her desk, and various undergarments were hanging in several places on and around the bedpost. Jungeun -- though disgusted, didn't feel the need to complain, getting all giddy when she realized the assortment of well-taken photos haphazardly tapped all over the walls, many of which included a younger version of her.

"You like them?" Jinsoul asked, emptying the contents of the large bag onto her bed messily. Jungeun nodded walking over to a particularly new photo of Jinsoul and Hyunjin sitting in a booth eating what appeared to be Bunggeo-ppang ice cream. She smiled to herself, running her fingers across her daughter's wide glossy grin. "I've got more, but they're not of people so I didn't put them up."

"I forgot how much you liked taking photos of everything. Jeez, isn't that from our last Halloween?" Jungeun gushed, pointing excitedly at a less pretty looking photo of a crying Jinsoul in a sailor moon outfit donning a large bandaid in between her eyebrows with 'big baby' written in large sharpie letters at the bottom. "That's when you face-planted on the curb!"

"Yeah, and the nice lady gave me extra candy! But the scar never healed up all the way." Jinsoul pouted rubbing the almost unnoticeable blemish in between her comically arched eyebrows. Jungeun giggled at her childishness reminiscing about the moment. She'd taken that photo in an attempt to make the older girl stop crying. In the years they'd been apart she'd forgotten all the small happy moments Jinsoul always liked to capture. Soon the nostalgia trip came to an end and the two decided to get started on the mountain of laundry. Though Jinsoul's never been the hardest of workers when it came to chores, so instead she settled for attempting to distract Jungeun while she folded with the determination of a marathon runner. Little did Jinsoul know she didn't need to do much, especially in what she was wearing... or wasn't wearing.

After fifteen minutes or so the Jinsoul could no longer take the heavy silence that came with laboring away with chores. In retaliation she laid on the clothes on her bed, limbs sprawled out in several directions as she mumbled out various indecipherable sentences attempting to pull Jungeun out of her task. Jungeun wasn't having the most fun either so she indulged Jinsoul.

"What was that?" Jungeun said flatly, folding one last shirt before she hesitantly gave Jinsoul her full attention. She gulped forcing herself to make eye contact not letting her eyes wander to other areas of the other girl's body that were still on full display despite the many hoodies thrown at her face. Jinsoul's eyes narrowed playfully as a mischievous grin began forming on her lips. 

"Let's cuddle." She said cheekily, shooting her a teasing wink. Jinsoul's words threw Jungeun into a coughing fit, her whole face filled with color as her mind began to fill with dirty thoughts. Jungeun was already struggling with Jinsoul being half-naked, the last thing she needed to do was touch her. Especially since Jungeun had been unfairly robbed of such a luxury ever since that strange car ride from the hospital. 

"No! Are you insane!?"

"I was kidding!" The kindergarten teacher laughed thoroughly amused with the reaction she received. "What's the big deal anyway? You used to love it when I gave you cuddles."

"That was different. That was when I..."

"You, what?" Jinsoul sat up moving closer to Jungeun, her mischievous grin not leaving her face. There was something in her tone that she didn't understand but it twisted her stomach into knots. The older woman stood up from the bed, their bodies mere centimeters apart, Jungeun could practically feel her breath on her lips and it sent a chill down her spine. Usually, this kind of proximity would have Jungeun in a panic trying to create as much space between them as possible but something was pulling her in and she didn't know what. 

"You know what." Jungeun husked trying to mock Jinsoul's strange tone, though it had the exact opposite effect. The taller girl's smile faltered and her eyes flickered into something Jungeun couldn't recognize. Her arms had left her sides and had encircled Jungeun's waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other forcing her to crane her neck back in a way that would prevent their lips from touching. Jungeun's breath was caught in her throat though she invited the contact, cautiously wrapping her arms around Jinsoul's bare shoulders. More than happy with basking in the familiar warmth, she failed to notice when one of Jinsoul's hand had begun drifting from her back down toward...other places. A surprised noise left Jungeun's throat as Jinsoul's hand had stopped just at the small of her back, though the glint in her eye was filled with audacious intention. So, that's where this was going.

Jungeun knew whatever was happening was a horrible idea, but so was being around Jinsoul at all when her feelings were so strong. Somehow the irrational part of her brain had taken over and she couldn't care or less. The way she was looking at her so intently and holding on to her so tightly made her body hot and legs feel like jelly. She was glad Jinsoul was holding her up, otherwise, she thought she would've fallen. Jinsoul leaned in, her lips ghosting Jungeun's jaw before she felt her lips teasing her ear, making her body quake in pleasure. That escalated quickly, is what Jungeun would have said if she could function at all. 

"Then, I want you to give me a reminder," Jinsoul growled, pulling back to make eye contact once more. Jungeun let out a shaky breath when Jinsoul's gaze lowered to her lips. Her eyes fluttered closed as she began to lean in slowly, keeping the younger one in suspense. Oh god, she was dreaming. She had to be dreaming, Jinsoul would never kiss her. She has a girlfriend, even if she didn't Jinsoul doesn't have feelings for her. Right? Jungeun just continued to stare wide-eyed thinking of reasons to justify her sudden desperation and necessity but found none, though she knew it was far too late to stop herself.

"Holy fuck..." She breathed out, her eyes now shifting to Jinsoul's incoming lips bracing herself for impact. Jinsoul stopped -- their lips barely apart -- and opened her eyes revealing the same confusing expression. Jungeun felt pathetic once more because all she wanted to do was beg. Beg Jinsoul to kiss her, beg her to touch her, but she kept her mouth closed finally regaining control over herself.

"JINSOUL BABY!! MOMMY MINATOZAKI BROUGHT SPRING ROLLS!!" Jinsoul snapped her head to the door, the cloudiness in her eyes disappearing in an instant. She pushed Jungeun off her rather harshly just seconds before a bright-looking older woman had peaked her head into the room. "Is that Haseul- Oh? Who's this?" The unknown older woman opened the door fully revealing a sheepish looking young-girl about the same age as Hyunjin. Jungeun took note of how she vaguely resembled an older Hyejoo, especially with the Nintendo switch tucked underneath her arm.

"Uh- I- she's my friend."

"I know that, but what's her name, silly?"

"I'm Dr. Kim Jungeun. Just Doc is fine, though." She cut in, smiling at the young girl and reaching out her hand for the woman to shake, she took it smiling widely.

"Well Doc, I'm Sana and this is my daughter, Mina."

"She's a friend of Dahyun's, who's also super good at cooking," Jinsoul added monotonously, patting Mina's head much to the young girl's annoyance. "I hope you brought a lot, I'm starving." Jinsoul avoided eye contact with the others inhabiting the room, simply slipping out the door wordlessly leaving the two adults perplexed.

"Is she, like...on her period?"

"Mina!"

The five of them sat in the living room eating while watching reruns of Friends episodes. Sana would occasionally start a casual conversation with Dahyun and Jungeun about various topics, or share an unfortunately detailed anecdote or two about her eccentric lifestyle, and seemingly more eccentric wife, Momo. Jinsoul, on the other hand, sat silently stuffing her face with as much food as possible. Occasionally she'd look over at Jungeun and flinch whenever the doctor matched her stare. Sana would sometimes stop in the middle of her stories and throw Jinsoul a few concerned looks only for them to be waved away.

"And that's how Mina was born! We still don't know who the father is to this day."

"Were there seriously four of them??" Dahyun asked, horror written all over her features.

"Of course, I told you this already!"

"You never told me about the chauffeur and the bartender!"

"Well, I didn't wanna scare you off."

"I'm more concerned about what mom did to the cup!" Mina grimaced, saying her first words since they began eating an hour ago. Jungeun would learn the girl wasn't very sociable, much like Hyejoo. At this point, she had half the mind to ask if any of those men ever met a certain UFC fighter. "And that poor man's glass eye! "

"Honey, don't be silly, we returned everything." Sana giggled, it was unnerving, to say the least. Though the rest of them were cringing in disgust, Jinsoul only chuckled softly to herself for an instant alarming the rest of the group. Sana set a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently before placing more spring rolls on the girl's plate. Jinsoul responded by looking up at the older woman and giving her an appreciative nod, then simply continued to watch Monica get her head stuck in a turkey. 

It wasn't a secret Jinsoul had been exhibiting odd behavior all week. Sooyoung would often complain about Jinsoul having 'temper tantrums' over the smallest inconvenience and Haseul would often recount stories of her having sudden emotional episodes. What concerned everyone the most was that Jinsoul was the type of person to wear her heart on her sleeve. If something was wrong she'd tell you, but anytime someone would ask the topic would be dismissed with a dry 'I'm fine'. With all of this in mind, Jungeun was more than confused with Jinsoul's prior actions.

After the spring rolls had run out and there were no more stories left to tell, Dahyun and the strange mother-and-daughter duo had left the apartment to do some shopping thus leaving Jungeun and Jinsoul alone. Jungeun had the intention of confronting Jinsoul about her recent behavior though the scowl the woman wore while aggressively scrubbing at a bowl proved she didn't want to be bothered. Dishes were cleaned and dried in deafening silence. When the tension seemed to slightly lift and Jinsoul had managed to wash her tenth glass without seemingly trying to break it, Jungeun would occasionally attempt to start a conversation only to be shot down when Jinsoul returned no answer. To say Jinsoul was being an asshole was quite frankly an understatement and Jungeun could no longer stand it. 

"What's your problem?" Jungeun snapped, albeit hesitantly. She deduced the only way she could get Jinsoul to talk was with forcefulness.

"What do you mean?" Jinsoul continued to wash a weird hello kitty themed saucepan, barely giving Jungeun an ounce of her attention.

"What do you mean, what do you mean?" Jungeun whispered harshly as if she didn't want any of the kitchen utensils to hear. "You were flirting." Jinsoul paused her movement, after a moment or two she turned off the water and faced Jungeun. She clicked her tongue in obvious amusement, leaning on the counter as her expression turned smug. 

"I wasn't flirting. It was a harmless joke. You know friends do that?"

"You're an asshole."

"What??"

"Which part was the joke, you trying to get me in bed or wait...let me guess, was it you trying to get me in bed!?"

"I wasn't trying to do that!"

"You weren't trying to kiss me either!" Jungeun shouted looking exasperated. "What the hell were you thinking?" 

"Me? What about you?" Jinsoul motioned accusingly, Jungeun scoffed crossing her arms. "You weren't exactly stopping me."

"I understand I could've handled the situation better but this goes beyond that, so don't turn this around on me," Jungeun hissed. "You've been acting like a jerk all week, so what's the issue?"

"There's nothing wrong."

"There must be something going on for you to be acting like such a toddler! This isn't highschool, Jinsoul, grow up!" A frustrated groan left the older woman's lips as she threaded her fingers through her hair messily.

"Why do I have to tell you anything?" She spat leaving the kitchen, but Jungeun followed her not yet done with the conversation.

"If you're not gonna tell Haseul or Sooyoung, at least tell me!"

"You're a hypocrite."

"I know, but it gives you no right to turn into me." Jinsoul turned around, her back facing the door of her room, a deep scowl etched in her features. Jungeun had struck a nerve. Taken aback by Jinsoul's sudden aggressive demeanor, she took an attentive step back. Before the doctor could move any further Jinsoul grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. Jungeun struggled in her hold, pushing and shoving the older woman but to no avail.

"Do you know what I'd give to turn into you, Dr. Kim Jungeun, the poster child of success stories? A perfect person. The things I'd give up just to be somebody else but me, somebody who isn't confused-"

Jungeun matches Jinsoul's intense stare, baring her teeth at her like a wild animal."So you'd give up happiness, Jinsoul?? You'd give up whatever you have with Haseul, the friendship you have with Sooyoung -- the friendship you have with me, goddammit?! You have no right to be angry right now, no right to play the victim. Stop pitying yourself, clean up, and change."

"So you can have bad days, and I can't? The rules don't apply to you? You get to have everything. A nice house, a nice family, a good job, a future. What do I get? Broken dreams, and food stamps." Jinsoul's grip on Jungeun's wrist tightens as her voice begins to rise again, a grimace replaced the doctor's mean look for a small moment but not long enough for Jinsoul to notice. "You don't think I'm trying? Some of us don't get everything spoon-fed to us."

"There you go pitying yourself again!"

"I'm not pitying myself, I'm telling you the truth!"

"And what's that?"

"You're selfish, Jungeun." Jinsoul barked, Jungeun's jaw clenched as her hands balled up into fists. She'd never thought she would ever hear those words fall from the older woman's mouth. With a deep inhale, she glares at the older girl, aggression written all over her features.

"Let go of me," Jungeun demanded in a low tone, something about the finality in her voice flipped a switch in Jinsoul. "I said, get your hands off of me."

"I-I'm sorry." The older woman's look softened as she let go of her grasp of Jungeun, suddenly becoming hyper-aware of how tight it was. A strong feeling of guilt had settled itself in the pit of her stomach as Jungeun continued to stare daggers at her.

"Maybe this was a bad idea." She breathed out clutching her wrist. Jinsoul cocked her head unsure what the sentence meant, concern visible in her expression. Before she could get the chance to speak up and ask her, Jungeun had already walked away, heading for the door. Jinsoul followed behind keeping a few feet of space between them. When Jungeun finally reached the door, with her body facing it, she turned her head around just enough to see Jinsoul's figure in her peripheral vision. A feeling of resentment suddenly washing over her, though she kept calm.

She sighed. "One last piece of advice," She started, Jinsoul hummed an ashamed look taking over her features as she waited for Jungeun to continue. "If you seriously like Haseul, be honest with her please." With that, she left the apartment closing the door behind her softly.

. . .

Hyejoo sat on the swing, swaying gently with the wind as she watched cars and vehicles alike speed their way through the city. She waits patiently for her uncle who was currently painstakingly choosing what he should buy the young girl at a nearby food cart. Usually, she'd be spending her weekends with her dad but since he was off on one of his business trips she was stuck with no caregiver. That is until her estranged uncle decided to reappear after almost three years of radio silence. Why? Hyejoo doesn't care, as long as she isn't stuck in a house with her old cranky grandmother for the time being.

A couple of loud squeals and the sound of familiar cheery laughter had pulled her out of her thoughts. She turned around to the other side of the small park where a fairly large playground stood a few meters away. Just as the young girl had suspected Yerim was standing in all her three-foot and five-inch glory, laughing hysterically at two older kids she didn't recognize seemingly wrestling each other to the ground. Once the bigger one had finally let the smaller framed girl free she made eye contact with Hyejoo, her already large smile somehow broadening impossibly wider on her dirt-stained face.

"Hey, isn't that your friend Yerimie!!" She shouted pointing at Hyejoo before being tackled violently by the still unidentified smaller girl. Hyejoo winced when the other one easily pinned her to the ground but was half expecting it due to the sheer difference in size. "If Vivi let you join the wrestling team I'd destroy you!"

"Then I'll just have to destroy you during basketball season- HYUNJIN YOU'RE RUINING MY THRASHER HOODIE!!"

"YOU DON'T EVEN SKATE!"

"I MIGHT IN THE FUTURE!" Hyejoo cocked her head at the interaction, extremely taken aback at the weird relationship between the older girls. Before she could even wrap her head around what just happened Yerim had already situated herself beside her. A small startled shriek left the girl's lips upon realizing Yerim's presence, but she paid no mind simply raising her eyebrow questioningly.

"You don't live in the city."

"You don't either." Hyejoo broke out into a friendly smile, as she always did when the shorter girl was around. She liked the shorter girl since she was a bit of a break from all of Chaewon and Yeojin's chaos. Not a moment later the two older girls' from before had joined them, their arms interlocked despite their earlier brawl.

"You're not Chaewon, so I'm gonna guess you're either Hyejoo or Yeojin." The taller one spoke, her sharp canines peaking out of her smile.

"Hyejoo..."

"Oh! Well, I'm Hyunjin, Yerim's older sister, and this is Heejin." Hyejoo nodded, lowering her head to hide her bashful grin. She wasn't very good with new people. Unsuspectingly, a hand had made its way to cup her cheeks, squeezing them making her lips tut out into a pout. Hyejoo looked up bewildered, finding that the small girl, who was now known as Heejin, had assaulted the poor girl's face cooing obnoxiously as she struggled in her hold.

"Aw look, she's shy~" Heejin gushed, but Hyunjin quickly pushed her to the side shaking her head.

"You don't just touch people's faces idiot!"

"She's cute!"

"SO!?" Heejin and Hyunjin continued to bicker about who knows what, while Yerim just giggled softly shaking her head, giving Hyejoo an apologetic look.

"What are you doing so far from home?"

"I'm waiting for my uncle, he went to buy me some food."

"Oh, your dad's brother! The one who went away? Or the weird balding one?" Yerim asked taking a seat in the swing next to her. Hyejoo laughed a bit, shaking her head.

"The balding one is my dad." Yerim's mouth formed an 'o' shape as she nodded furrowing her eyebrows. Hyejoo pointed towards the food cart where her uncle stood, he was paying for the food, fumbling for his wallet as he balanced two paper cups of tteokbokki. "The one with the shaggy long hair. His name is Hwiyoung."

"Is he wearing sandals and cargo shorts?"

"The men in my family aren't very fashionable." Yerim and Hyejoo had watched as the man almost tripped on his way over to them, focusing very hard on trying to pocket his change and not drop the food at the same time. Yerim got up from her seat, tugging her sister by the arm as she ran toward him. Heejin -- now free -- took the moment to squeeze Hyejoo's cheeks one more time before running over to help. Hyejoo watched in awe as the three of them scrambled to help her uncle, a small smile starting to form on her lips when Hwiyoung's surprised shrieks echoed through the park as Hyunjin snatched at his wallet attempting to restore the change to its rightful place.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! We leave for two seconds and you're mugging a guy? HYUN GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIS WALLET!!"

"I told you, you're a bad influence."

"Well, I must not be that bad since Jiwoo put me in charge."

"That's what you believe." Hyejoo turned her head to meet the curious gaze of two women who looked about the same age as her uncle, one significantly taller than the other. Before one of them could ask her any questions, Yerim came barreling towards her, a steaming cup of food outstretched in front of her. From how fast she was running Hyejoo was sure it would fall. Though somehow Yerim managed to deliver the food safely into her hands. "Yerim, you know this girl?" The short woman with innocent facial features spoke up, holding her body up on her knees as she spoke to Yerim softly.

"Yeah, she's my friend! That handsome man over there is her uncle!" She responded, pointing over to where Hyunjin and Heejin were harshly tugging a mortified Hwiyoung towards them. The two women grimaced, bowing apologetically as the three had joined them at the swing set. This day couldn't get any weirder. Hwiyoung looked like he was about to run away at this point, a flash of familiarity glinting in his eyes. The shorter of the two women outstretched her hand in front of Hwiyoung smiling broadly.

"I understand your niece is a friend of our Yerim. I'm Yoojung and this is-"

"Doyeon?"

"Holy crap! Hwiyoung!? Jiwoo is gonna flip!!"

. . .

When Haseul opened the door of her apartment in the middle of the night, she wasn't expecting to see Jinsoul in anything more than a hoodie and weird pajama shorts she vaguely remembers seeing her wear previously. She certainly wasn't expecting to see her eyes swollen and red, her tear-stained face besmirched with guilt, and body trembling like a mad man.

"W-what happened?" She asked tentatively, reaching out to pull her into an embrace. Upon registering Haseul's tight hold on her shoulders Jinsoul began to sob once more, whimpering every time Haseul rubbed her back trying to soothe her. They stayed there for a solid ten minutes, Jinsoul not once returning Haseul's embrace feeling undeserving. When Jinsoul's cries finally reduced to sniffling, Haseul placed a gentle kiss on the woman's temple, moving her head back to look for her eyes but Jinsoul avoided her gaze, hiding her face in her neck. Wordlessly Haseul's hands left her shoulders and drifted down to her waist, locking her fingers together behind her back tightly, she pulled Jinsoul inside the apartment and closed the door behind them quietly

"Is Chaewon sleeping? It's late." Jinsoul mumbled though it was muffled due to her persistence of making sure her face was hidden.

"Of course she's asleep, stop changing the subject." Haseul was alarmed, to say the least. Sure, Jinsoul had been quite the emotional wreck the past few weeks but this was far past the usual sudden outbursts of inappropriate crying during their nights together after school hours. This didn't look like it could be fixed with a simple youtube stream of her favorite acapella channel. This looked serious and it was taking Haseul to her breaking point. Much like many of Jinsoul's companions, Haseul was getting tired of the foreign shell she was trapping herself inside of. "I can't make this stop if you don't tell me what's wrong, baby." Haseul cooed, pulling Jinsoul's body closer. Another sob left Jinsoul's throat before she began to shake, her arms shot up to tightly hold on to the sleeves of Haseul's t-shirt as her crying started once more.

With a sigh, Haseul led them to the couch, once the back of her knees hit the soft material of the couch cushion she sat down letting Jinsoul straddle her as she cried. "Have you been in your pajamas the whole day, loser?" She giggled trying to lift the mood, she let out a breath of relief when she felt Jinsoul smile against her neck. Haseul left a kiss on her shoulder as she squeezed the older girl's waist tighter. Feeling her breathing even out, Haseul opted to keep her mouth shut, no longer wanting to see her cry. She closed her eyes leaning her forehead on the sniffling girl's shoulder, letting the warmth of Jinsoul's body and the thrumming of her heartbeat wash a wave of calm over her, the fatigue hitting her entire body like bricks.

"I'm sorry..."

"Hm? Oh, no, I'm not even tired. You are at the top of my priorities right now, Ms. Jung." Haseul blinked herself awake, Jinsoul's had let go of her sleeves and wrapped her arms around her neck. She sighed contentedly knowing the crying would finally cease. "You okay now?" Haseul whispered, Jinsoul meekly nodded lifting her head to finally meet Haseul's concerned gaze. Haseul smiled adoringly at her girlfriend, her face red and puffy from all the crying but she still wore the same cute childish pout that Haseul -- quote on quote -- couldn't stand.

"I really like you, Haseul."

"I know that weirdo...I-I really like you too." Jinsoul smiled at that, giggling like a schoolgirl. Haseul grinned at her, happy she managed to generate an emotion other than distress from the older girl. Though to her misfortune It didn't last long, her expression soon shifted back into one of guilt and deep sadness.

"I wanna be honest with you, and if you hate me after today I get it."

"I could never hate you, I just want to know what's wrong," Haseul smiled, giving Jinsoul's waist another brief squeeze. "Please, tell me what's wrong."

Jinsoul took a shaky breath, her eyes threatening to well with tears as she spoke."I-I wanted to kiss someone else -- I tried to, I mean." Her face fell, but she continued. "It was Jungeun."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"It's not like I wasn't expecting it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I forgive you." Haseul breathed smiling encouragingly before explaining herself further. "You told the truth, that's all I want from you."

"But I cheated."

Haseul shook her head, laughing a bit. "Do you like her?"

"No, of course not," Jinsoul assured, shooting her head up to meet Haseul's eyes once more. "You don't deserve that, you don't deserve to be cheated on." Haseul smiled leaving a small peck on Jinsoul's lips, a melancholic sigh leaving her as she buries her face into the older woman's shoulder.

"When we were seeing each other, Vivi and I...we-"

"Oh," Jinsoul finished, pausing for a moment before continuing to play with Haseul's hair, combing the strands with her fingers. Haseul winced, she could almost feel Jinsoul's heart stop just from the way she spoke. Though after a moment of tension-filled silence, Jinsoul didn't seem phased in the slightest, just rather confused. "That's not the same, we weren't in a relationship then."

"But I never told you, I should've told you, especially when you asked me." She mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear. Haseul's head shot up, her eyes looking at Jinsoul's apologetically sensing she'd hurt the girl. "I lied to you about something important, and I regret it. We're even now, right? We both hurt each other and we won't do it again, right?"

"I promise."

"Then, I promise too." A comfortable silence befalls upon the two women. Though their relationship was strange at times and most definitely rushed, there was an understanding that they needed each other. It didn't take long for Jinsoul to become almost like a second home to her and she knew the sentiment was shared. Smiling at the thought, Haseul uses her hands to move Jinsoul's hair out of her face, kissing her forehead sweetly. Another few silent seconds of content pass before Haseul's eyes playfully narrow. Jinsoul giggles raising her eyebrows at Haseul's sudden weird behavior. "Jeez, your bangs are so long. They're like curtains."

"Hey!"

"I'm kidding...But I could cut them if you want."

"You? Cut my bangs? Emma Watson isn't the goal here." Jinsoul teased, causing an annoyed groan to leave the music teacher's mouth. The two broke out into silent laughter, trying not to accidentally wake up the small girl sleeping in the next room over. Once they calmed down Haseul began to groom Jinsoul once more, moving hair out of her eyes and putting stray pieces behind her ears. After she'd finished, her smile grew as she admired the finished product.

"Have I ever told you you're beautiful?"

"Yes, but the words 'big' and 'head' usually follow."

"Well, you are."

"You are too."

"Oh, I know." Jinsoul scoffed shaking her head, smiling widely at the smug look beginning to form on Haseul's face. She leaves an innocent kiss on Haseul's lips to wipe away her smirk, pressing their foreheads together when she pulled away, another happy giggle leaving her. Haseul was happy, she really was. Jinsoul made Haseul happy, not Jungeun. So what was that strange feeling building up in the pit of her stomach as her girlfriend gazed at her like she was the only thing in the world?

"I think I could fall in love with you."

"I think I could fall in love with you too."

. . .

ThatOneGemini: Anyone wanna go for drinks??

SunshineChuu: no.

JungleBook: no.

BBcream: hell no.

ThatOneGemini: Okay...Jinsoul and Haseul?

HELLO??

JINSOUL AND HASEUL???

Doyumm: I'm down

ThatOneGemini: WHY ARE YOU HERE??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't kidding when I said everyone is gay and stoopid to the HIGHEST DEGREE. Please bicker about Jinsoul's moral standing in the comments I'd love to discuss it with you. Jinsoul OUT! I'm kidding she's the main character. Anyway, the story is finally unfolding so chapters are gonna get a bit longer so I can maintain my promise of keeping this only 20 chapters. I've finished posting all the ones that were already pre-written!! Yay, clap. Okay, hope you had a good read. Till next time, hopefully, that will be soon!  
> twt: @heekkiesdyke  
> cc: kimlipdyke


	11. F**K YA CHICKEN STRIPS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone finds out chicken strips unfortunately aren't the only thing that can catch fire.

The steady beep of the heart monitor, the rhythmic drip of the IV, the hissing and wheezing of the ventilator, and various other machines filled the hospital room with sound. Heeyoung laid asleep in peaceful bliss, her skin pale and void of color as Haseul entered the room quietly. She left a folder filled with a multitude of drawings and paintings from Chaewon before she sat on the stiff cushioned armchair beside her sister. Heeyoung woke slowly, her eyelids were still heavy though she tried her best to keep them open. Haseul sighed, smiling at her older sister. "Go back to sleep if you're tired, I'll be here."

"It's your prep isn't it?" Heeyoung croaked, her voice hoarse and dry. Haseul winced at how painful it sounded, though she kept a brave face.

"I can take the rest of the day off, I just...I want to make sure you're fine." a hum resonates through Heeyoung's chest, she set her hand in her younger sister's outstretched palm and squeezes as tight as she could.

"I'm okay Haseul, it was just an allergic reaction-"

"That shouldn't have happened! Don't these people check what you can, and can't eat?"

"They couldn't have known. _I_ didn't even know."

"Now you're on a ventilator...I should sue them." Haseul huffs, scooting her chair closer so her sister could sit more comfortably.

Heeyoung smiled at her, a teasing glint in her eyes beginning to form. "You can't afford to."Another huff leaves Haseul's nose, she looks at her watch pouting at the time. Heeyoung notices the woman's worried look and squeezes her hand reassuringly. "I'll still be here when you come back, okay? I love you."

"I love you more." The music teacher smiles getting up from her spot, she embraces her sister's side making sure not to knock down anything she's hooked up to. A small goodbye leaves her lips as Haseul leaves the room before she begins poking around the folder Haseul left her.

Haseul searches the mostly empty corridor for a doctor to aid Heeyoung, unfortunately, a familiar head of chestnut hair in a -- usual messy yet annoyingly elegant -- high ponytail catches her eye. Jungeun walked toward her, a toothy grin that looked much too nervous to be genuine plastered on her face. Haseul stopped herself from rolling her eyes, mentally preparing for the awkward small talk ahead. It's not that Haseul didn't like her, it's more like Jungeun hadn't given her any reason to besides knowing the same people. Though she still has a job to get to and an ill sister who needs assistance, so, Haseul acknowledges Jungeun's presence hoping she could help her find a doctor in the ward.

"Is there anybody around who could help me out?" Haseul speaks abruptly, a bit more bite in her voice than she initially intended. Okay, maybe she didn't like Jungeun at all, and clearly, she was having some difficulty hiding it as of late. Jungeun holds back a gasp, though her surprised look doesn't go unnoticed. "Sorry, hi, uhm, my sister just woke up and I've got to get back to work."

Jungeun's eyes go wide for a moment as she frantically looks between Heeyoung's room and Haseul's obviously irritant expression. "Your sister? You mean--"

"--Yes, the cancer patient in Room 205. My sister. Now, can you help me or not? I'm not really in the mood for small talk." Haseul confirms awkwardly. Jungeun nods her head slowly, her eyebrows furrowed and mouth slightly ajar.

"I'm sorry I didn't know -- I-I mean I can help you, I can check up on her."

"Aren't you a neuro-surgeon or something?"

"That is a thing I do, yes...but I can still treat a patient it _is_ my job."

"I'm not entirely sure of the legality of that but I'm going to trust you've got it under control, goodbye Dr. Kim." Haseul nodded curtly, only being able to take a single step before Jungeun pulled her back by the wrist. She inhaled deeply, an undeniably fake smile gracing her features as she exhaled. Jungeun, realizing her mistake let go of Haseul's wrist immediately, eyes wide and frantic.

"I-I just...uh..."

"I'm sorry but I don't have time-"

"No, no, no!" Jungeun waves her hands dismissively, laughing awkwardly. "Don't say sorry, I get it. It's just -- when I'm nervous I either, don't remember how to talk or talk too much. It's kind of ironic though since I'm not open about-"

"Please get to the point." Haseul interrupts the doctor's tangent, looking at her watch impatiently. The doctor in response stutters out a few muddled apologies with a sheepish grin.

"I wanted to apologize for the Jinsoul situation and make it clear she wasn't the only one in the wrong," Jungeun nervously fidgeted with her fingers looking down at the ground, unconsciously rocking on her heels as she looked at Haseul apologetically. She looked like a kicked puppy and it annoyed the music teacher. "It was a weird moment for the both of us, I had no idea what was going through her head and it didn't help nothing was going through mine. I hope we can look past it and still be friends." Haseul held in a scoff at the doctor's last comment, clearing her throat to prevent a cackle from escaping her lips.

"Let me guess, coffee?" The music teacher joked more to herself as she looked around the empty halls for an excuse to exit the conversation. But what better excuse is there besides going to work. Plus It's not like she knew anybody there besides a handful of nurses that take her sister's vitals but it was worth a try. Jungeun looked at her quizzically, mirroring her movement and looking around for particularly nothing.

"Well, I wasn't going to suggest that but if you want-"

"What? No! What I _want_ is to go to work and leave this conversation!" Haseul groaned pinching the bridge of her nose. "Now if you don't mind, Dr. Kim-"

"Is six okay for you?"

" _What_?"

"Six, is it okay for you? We can go out for a drink, we can leave the kids with Jiwoo. Chaewon likes Jiwoo, right?" Jungeun's smile was wide and genuine, she stuffed her hand in her lab coat pocket most likely shuffling around for her phone.

"You've officially convinced me you're absolutely hysterical," Haseul breathed, shoving her hands in her jacket. "If you haven't noticed, I'm not very fond of you."

"All the more reason to grab coffee with me!" Jungeun said whipping out her phone from her lab coat enthusiastically.

Haseul huffed, rolling her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time in the past few minutes. "Look, I don't know what baggage you have, but if you want to stay in Jinsoul's life please leave it at the door. I don't know you all that well, but from what I've gathered all you bring is trouble," She started angrily, obviously fed up with the younger woman's insistence. "You and I both know Jinsoul's going through some things and I don't need you adding to her stress." Jungeun furrowed her eyebrows, her smile faltering into a confused expression.

"Are you seriously suggesting -- Haseul, I have a family, what happened last night was an honest mistake and it won't happen again. I understand what you're feeling-"

"It's not just about last night, _Jungeun._ It's about last week, the week before, whatever happens after this week. Are you blind? Do you seriously not notice how worried you make her? Her problems are always about you and I wouldn't be surprised if whatever is happening to her is about you too. I don't want that for her, and since you obviously don't agree with me, I don't think you do understand."

"Haseul, I-"

"You know what? Thank you for helping me, genuinely. But after today just do me the favor and stay away from us _both._ " Haseul said leaving Jungeun stunned, mouth agape, and unable to speak. The music teacher looked at her watch again, cursing under her breath when she realized she was going to be late for work. Jungeun cleared her throat, stuffing her phone back in her lab coat pocket. 

"Well, thanks for the chat. I'll let you get to work then," Jungeun smiled meekly at the older woman. Haseul said nothing, instead, she raised her head to meet the doctor's gaze curiously. "Goodbye, Haseul." She said as she turned around heading for Heeyoung's room, but Haseul was quick to grab her by the shoulder halting her movement.

"Wait," with a deep sigh, she pulled out her phone swiping through it as Jungeun turned back to face her slowly (and with much caution). "I'm free Saturday evening."

**. . .**

Yeojin stood at the far end of the classroom with her hands flat on the side of the fishtank, staring as the lonely blue-fish inside of it swam around gleefully. A focused expression etched in the details of her babyish features whilst she mimicked the fish's face. Her lips tutted out into a pout, and cheeks puffed in and out rhythmically. After a few silent moments of watching the little fish swim back and forth, another body joined her, crouching just a bit to match the girl's height.

"What are you doing?" An enthusiastic voice that could belong to no one else but Yerim piped up. Yeojin didn't respond, not even giving the taller girl an ounce of her attention. Yerim pouted, momentarily studying Yeojin's expression as she watched the glass cage. With a curious hum, she turned to the small girl's current field of concentration, pouting her lips and puffing her cheeks in and out just as Yeojin did. Only some short seconds passed before a very loud and exasperated groan came out of Yerim's mouth. "This is so _boring_!"

"Then leave."

"Play with me!!" Yerim whined, turning to face her friend with her large puppy eyes and cute pleading pout. Yeojin rolled her eyes, meeting her friend's gaze with a deadpanned expression. "Yeojinie--"

"--No." With another distressed whine, Yerim turned back to watch the blue-fish with a huff. The class had finished their multiplication practice early, and Jinsoul didn't have much else planned for the morning so she let the kids have playtime till the lunch bell rang. Hyejoo and Chaewon were off doing god knows what, probably discussing plans on how to better run the classroom. Or rather, Chaewon was feeding her terrifying obsession with ruling the world and Hyejoo was listening intently. Either way, it didn't interest poor Yerim, thus leaving her alone and playmate-less. This is where Yeojin came into play, but of course, the young girl was far too busy imitating fish to entertain her.

Yerim accepted her fate, studying the fish as Yeojin did. The two stood in comfortable silence, filtering out the chaos of whatever mess was happening behind them. As enchanting as Dialga was, the silence was killing Yerim and unsurprisingly it didn't take long for her to become restless.

"What are you even doing--"

"CHOERRY?!?" Yeojin growled, her head snapping to meet the nervous large grin of her friend. With a disgruntled sigh, she turned to face Yerim fully, a hand on her hip as she gave her a pointed look. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Admiring the fish."

"No! I'm imagining killing this thing in many bloody, savage, _murderous_ ways." Yerim chuckled at her, turning to watch the fish again prompting Yeojin to do the same.

"Why haven't you killed it yet, since you hate it so much?" She teased, knocking their shoulders together playfully.

"Well, for starters, you and the others clearly like it so much I'd never forgive myself for it. That and Ms. Jung is at her wit's end with me, I'm surprised she hasn't permanently kicked me out of the class." 

Yerim hums, the ends of her lips upturning slightly at the mention of their favorite teacher. "I think you just like the fish--"

"--I DO _NOT_!!"

"KIDS, CAN YOU NOT YELL PLEASE? I'M GONNA RUIN MY EYELINER!" Said teacher joined in from the front of the room, where she sat at her desk meticulously touching-up her makeup.

"There's literally so much other stuff going on-- ugh, nevermind." Yeojin huffed, crossing her arms over her chest before returning her eyes to the tank. Yerim giggled, amused at the turn of events though not letting her eyes leave Dialga. Maybe Yeojin was on to something, it was sort of enchanting to look at.

"Doesn't she look like Auntie Jin-- I mean, Ms. Jung a bit?" Hearing Jinsoul being referred to as 'Auntie' all the time had been messing with her a bit lately. She sometimes found herself forgetting that the woman was indeed her teacher, not a relative of any kind.

"Ugh, I still can't believe you call her Auntie." The smaller girl cringed, Yerim giggled a bit nudging her to the side. Yeojin looked at her with a smile though it faltered when she realized her friend's sudden melancholy expression. "You okay, dude?"

Yerim turned her head to meet her eyes, surprise evident in her voice as she spoke. "Oh! Yeah, I'm fine!" Yeojin barely had to give her a questioning look before her obviously fake 'regular bright attitude Yerim" act failed miserably. She pouted, not in the cute puppy way Yeojin often saw when she didn't get her way, it was filled with genuine worry and sadness. 

"Is it cause I said I didn't like Dialga? Cause if it is, I mean she's alright, I didn't mean to--"

"--I think something's wrong with Ms. Jung," Yerim interrupted. Yeojin furrowed her eyebrows, slowly turning her head to watch their teacher who was still sat comfortably at the front of the room. She'd finished with her eyeliner and was dominating a line of six-year-old boys in an arm-wrestling tournament. Yeojin grimaced when one of the boys left her desk clutching a limp wrist.

"She seems perfectly normal...I think that's the real issue." She shook her head in disbelief, turning back to her friend who still had the same worrisome expression.

"She's been going to the bathroom a lot--"

"--Well she's kinda old, old people can't pee sometimes, y' know? She could be having problems down there or something--"

"--Okay, but she comes back and fixes her makeup every time, haven't you noticed!" Yerim added turning her body to face Yeojin more comfortably, her expression contorted in a way that would suggest Yeojin missed an obvious joke. "Auntie Jiwoo's always coming in here on her prep and gives her this look whenever she gets up and leaves..."

"A look??"

"Yes, a look! Like she knows something everybody doesn't...not in a good way. I've seen it countless times. She gives my mom the same look every day!" Yerim smiled proudly at the last part, probably feeling like some sort of detective for figuring that out. Yeojin patted her shoulder encouragingly feeling a little disturbed by the dark undertones of the taller girl's statement.

"So what, she might have a urinary problem or digestive issues? It's nothing to be pissing our pants over," Yeojin chuckled, a sinister smile forming on her face. Yerim blinked giving her a perplexed look. Her smile faltered. "Get it, cause, piss--nevermind, what were you saying?"

"Sometime's my mom cries in our bathrooms after watching Glee. My sister says she's menopausal. What if Auntie--Ms. Jung is menopausal and that's why she goes to the bathroom all the time. To cry." Yeojin stared at her for a moment, looking absolutely baffled before snorting.

"Oh my god, I love your sister." She said as she clutched her stomach chuckling lowly. She sniffled, biting her lips to compose herself but her smile still showed through her efforts. Yerim smiled, her naivety stopping her from understanding what Yeojin was laughing at but it still made her happy to see her friend enjoying herself. Yeojin wasn't like most kids, Yerim knew that. She was witty and chaotic, a little attention-seeking, but above all, she knew a lot. More than she should really. All of that most likely due to being raised in a family with five other -- much older -- kids.

"So you're telling me, you think Ms. Jung cries in bathrooms because she's been watching too many glee episodes?"

"No, because something's wrong with her! Don't you see it??" Yerim whined, punching Yeojin's shoulder, the shorter girl winced clutching the abused area.

"No! You sound ridiculous!" She scowled, Yerim drew back her eyes wide and glistening with surprise and hurt. It wasn't rare for Yeojin to get angry at her friends but Yerim wasn't ever at the receiving end of it. She was too sweet and innocent, getting mad at her was like committing a crime that could give you the death sentence. Already feeling the guilt bubbling up in the pit of her stomach, Yeojin turned to face her friend fully and set an apologetic hand on her shoulder. She rolled her eyes when she saw Yerim's familiar pout, a lazy half-smile growing on her lips.

"But if I did," Yeojin paused, waiting for Yerim to meet her gaze. "What would we do about it?"

**. . .**

"Stay out of trouble, Hyun!"

" _Yeah_ , _yeah._ Have a good rest of your day Mr. Park!" Hyunjin waved to the driver as she stepped out of the bus, throwing her duffel bag messily over her shoulder. The chilly October wind bit at her arms but she was too lazy to grab her blazer from the inside of her bag. It was ten in the morning on a school day, third period with Professor Moon would start in fifteen minutes, and Hyunjin was not where she was supposed to be. She was in the city, specifically the park near her Aunt Jiwoo's apartment complex, scanning the area for a food cart to satisfy her sudden fishcake craving.

" _I can't believe you're skipping school **without me**." _Heejin huffed on the other line, her voice was barely audible to avoid getting caught on her phone.

"As if you'd actually come with me," Hyunjin scoffed rolling her eyes. "Besides, Vivi would roast you alive."

_"And you think Doc wouldn't do the same to you? You're treading on dangerous water, partner. I say you come back to school and save yourself."_

"So you can cheat off my math homework? No thanks." She teased, Heejin let out a loud whine making Hyunjin move the phone away from her ear momentarily. Unsurprisingly, the sound of her sputtering and scuffling followed, and the line cut. Heejin was never the best at being discrete, Hyunjin smiled at the thought. With a sigh she pocketed her phone and set down her duffel bag on the floor, kneeling to open it up. She shuffled through the contents of the bag pushing away sweaty athletic gear she should've given to her mom to wash weeks ago. She smiled widely when she finally found her favorite hoodie not wasting another moment to slip it on. She patted the "BLOCK BERRY CHAMPION" patch that was carefully sewn on the breast proudly before collecting her things once again and heading toward a nearby food cart. 

It wasn't her hoodie, it was her dad's, so it fit like a dress nearly reaching her knees and burying her pleated black skirt. She hoped it would be enough for her to walk around inconspicuously but there wasn't much she could do about the food vendor. When she walked up to the cart the old woman behind it gave her a weird look but Hyunjin didn't expect her to rat out a paying customer. Without much thought, she continued her mission and acquired the skewered food without any further mishaps. 

Somewhere between finding the food cart and buying the food, a cat had been tailing Hyunjin. Observing her from a far enough distance to keep it from being found, and it wasn't -- not until it decided to jump on her lap when she settled on a nearby park bench. Hyunjin let out a startled shriek when the visitor made itself known.

"You can't be serious..." Hyunjin grumbled, the hand holding the cup of food raised away from the cat in case it got any ideas.

" _Mew,"_ the cat responded softly, Hyunjin scoffed. She got up quickly, prompting the cat to jump off of her with a hiss. Hyunjin stuck her tongue out at the cat, walking away as she ate her food peacefully and without care. The cat followed close behind, rubbing its head against the young girl's bare leg every once in a while reminding her of its presence. With a deep wistful sigh, she took in the scenery of the park, it was large enough to hold a lot of... _parky stuff,_ like a basketball court or a picnic area, but just small enough for you to be able to turn your head in a certain direction and see everything it held. 

She finished off the last of her food and threw it away in a nearby bin. The air had gotten a little colder, so she scooped the cat from the ground and held it close to her chest. The cat's fur was short and auburn, it wasn't as skinny as she expected it to be and it didn't look too sick or unhealthy. Just small...and _very_ needy. Hyunjin chuckled softly when her thoughts immediately went to Heejin and the cat answered with a questioning meow. Well, maybe not questioning but Hyunjin liked to think so.

"I'll call you Heekkie, then," Hyunjin smiled at the cat adoringly, petting the side of its chest with her thumb. She felt herself growing fond of the stray, a stark contrast from the annoyance she'd felt earlier. It was funny how Heejin could do that even if she wasn't in the room. The sound of a ball dribbling forced Hyunjin out of her thoughts. Bored out of her mind she decided to follow the sound. Unsurprisingly, it led her to the basketball court where a tall man played alone, shooting the ball and rarely missing. Hyunjin walked closer to the metal bench at the side of the court, she set her duffel bag on it before sitting down. She placed the cat on her lap and stroked its fur as she watched the man continue to play.

After a few more shots, the man put the ball under his arm and walked over to the bench where Hyunjin sat. Another bag was placed beside along with a water bottle and she assumed it belonged to him. As the man walked closer his face became clearer, Hyunjin's eyes bulged when she realized who it was.

"Aren't you Hyejoo's uncle?" Hyunjin asked curiously, narrowing her eyes at the tall man. He stopped in his tracks frowning at her, but his expression soon turned into an amused smirk once he realized who was talking. He shook his head in disbelief before continuing to walk toward Hyunjin. She watched as he quickly took a swig of his water bottle before looking down to meet her gaze. 

"Hyunjin, right?"

She nodded. "Uncle Hwiyoung, right?" He smiled nodding his head as a response, he noticed the cat in Hyunjin's arms and his eyes lit up. Without another word, he shuffled through his gym bag and pulled out a little Tupperware of dry cat food. When he opened it up and set it on the ground, Heekkie jumped off Hyunjin's lap and happily ate. Hyunjin's lips tugged up into a wide grin before she gave the tall man a questioning stare.

"Do you just carry cat food with you everywhere?" She asked raising her brow making Hwiyoung chuckle.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school instead of wandering around with stray cats and questioning me?" 

" _Touche_ ," Hyunjin grumbled, her gaze shifting back to the cat once again. "I wasn't in the mood..." She trailed off pensively. Hwiyoung sat next to her with a sigh making the metal bench creak and shift under them.

"Why's that?" Hwiyoung asked, Hyunjin saw his expression in her peripheral vision. He was looking at her with furrowed brows and a focused expression as if he was trying extra hard to listen to the young girl's worries despite barely knowing her. She remembered when her father used to give her that look, something that was becoming harder to do as the days went by.

"I got hungry, I can't focus when I'm hungry." Hyunjin turned her head to face Hwiyoung, he shook his head disbelieving as his toothy smile began to return.

"Are you sure that's it, Kiddo?" Hyunjin snorted, rolling her eyes at the pet name. She looked back down at Heekkie who had just finished eating with a content smile. She scooped up the cat into her arms once again, giggling softly when it nuzzled its head into her chest.

"Since you know my Auntie, have you met my mom?"

"Once, though, I hardly remember it."

"Well, she's married to the nicest piece of shit you will ever meet," Hyunjin looked back at Hwiyoung with a deadpanned expression. Hwiyoung gasped drawing his head back, surprised by the young girl's sudden strong language. Hyunjin shrugged, understanding his reaction. It's not every day you hear a 10-year-old curse. Soon, Hwiyoung snapped out of his shocked daze, he looked at the young girl amused as his laughter slowly starting to grow. "Seriously, he's a shitty dad! But you can never be mad at him because he knows and he tries his best to make up for it. The man grows tulips for his wife for christ's sake. She doesn't even like them, but how can you get mad when he does stuff like that?!" Hwiyoung continued to laugh loudly, needing to support himself on his knees as the girl continued to talk. When he started to calm down, he wiped away the tears falling from his eyes as he looked over at Hyunjin with eyes full of adoring mirth. His expression, once again, reminding her of her father. She felt a heavyweight in her chest, it happened so frequently now she barely even noticed it.

"You're very witty, Hyunjin." Hwiyoung smiled at her comfortingly, probably sensing her sudden change in demeanor. Hyunjin smiled at him sadly, returning her gaze to the cat in her arms. A few beats of silence passed by before Hwiyoung decided to talk again, probably thinking hard about his next words. "Why is he a _shitty dad_?" He asked, making quotation marks with his fingers to emphasize his last words.

"He's never around, he's always at work."

"Are you mad at him for it?"

"No, I get he's a busy guy. He knows it's wrong, and he tries his best to be there but the timing's never right. He tells me sorry all the time. Every night, when he doesn't come home in time for dinner, he leaves little notes under my door with some stupid cartoon and an apology." Hyunjin laughed humorlessly, feeling her eyes beginning to sting. She huffed frowning angrily, aggressively wiping at her eyes refusing to let her barrier break. 

"Then why are you upset?"

"Because I'm tired of forgiving him," Hyunjin said, raising her voice a little, her rising anger getting harder to conceal. Heekkie whined in distress, Hyunjin's grip around the cat getting too tight. Feeling guilty, she relaxed and continued to stroke the cat's fur and it responded with a soft meow. Hwiyoung hummed, nodding his head as if he understood the girl's frustration. Without saying anything else he got up and grabbed the basketball from the ground, dribbling it as he looked at the girl with a wide grin. Hyunjin raised an eyebrow at the man's antics.

"You play ball?"

"Since I could hold one."

"Alright, play me then. I win, you go back to school, you win, I buy you everything you want from the food cart. _T_ _hen_ you can head back, since you can't focus on an empty stomach, right?" Hwiyoung teased, smirking as he spun the basketball on his index finger.

Hyunjin snorted. "You're on, old man."

**. . .**

Jinsoul sat behind her desk sifting through a catalog of websites on her computer as Yerim and Yeojin ate their lunch in the small library at the back of the room. Due to Jiwoo's uncanny ability to psychoanalyze anybody with frightening accuracy, Jinsoul had been forced to eat lunch in the classroom. Upon the discovery, the two kindergarteners decided to keep their teacher company. Why? Jinsoul didn't want to know to be quite frank.

"Kids, make sure not to spill any food over there, alright?" Jinsoul said, taking a bite of one of the apple slices Yerim graciously gifted her that morning, still very focused on her laptop. Yeojin stood up abruptly, one hand on her chest and the other raised as if she were taking some sort of oath. The teacher snapped her head up in surprise.

"There won't be a speck of dust anywhere, and if there is I'll clean it myself! On my sister's one good leg!" Yeojin declared with an evil smirk on her face. Jinsoul shivered, feeling disturbed. She was unsure if it was the implication of the comment that made her feel like that or Yeojin's sudden devotion to be clean. This _was_ the same girl who tried to recreate Starry Night on her desk with one of those purple Elmer's glue sticks...like, multiple times actually. Very big fan of Starry Night.

"Which sister?" Yerim asked, looking up curiously at her friend from the carpeted floor.

"The one with the bad leg, obviously," Yeojin answered, Yerim hummed stroking her chin thoughtfully.

"Then I'll swear on my sister's _two_ good legs!" She announced, popping up from the ground next to Yeojin. Jinsoul blinked, not understanding what had just transpired. In fact, their behavior had been a little out of the ordinary since the morning.

"You guys didn't like...kill anything, right?" Jinsoul asked, looking toward Diagla's fish tank where the fish was still happily swimming about. Yeojin followed her teacher's line of sight and scoffed.

"C'mon I've grown in these past months!" Jinsoul shook her head amused, returning her gaze to the two young girls.

"Well, if that's the case, then I suppose if you _do_ dirty anything I'll be expecting three severed legs on my desk tomorrow morning, yeah?" Jinsoul teased, a fond smile making its way onto her lips when the shorter of the two looked at her bewildered. Yeojin nodded hesitantly, slowly sitting back on the ground while she muttered something about how she was going to apologize to her sister. Jinsoul chuckled returning her gaze to her laptop with a small smile playing on her lips. Yerim glided over to her teacher's side, placing her chin on her shoulder and her arms around her. She'd become quite affectionate with Jinsoul overtime, in fact, if it were up to Yerim they'd be conjoined at the hip. It was annoying at times but Jinsoul loved the clingy little girl nonetheless.

"What are you doing?" Yerim asked, watching as the mouse wandered from tab to tab across the computer.

"I'm looking at teaching courses," Jinsoul said, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "To become a teacher."

"But you're already a teacher."

"Temporarily, yes, but I was thinking about doing it permanently, you know?" Jinsoul spoke shyly, she hadn't talked about her sudden curiosity in a career change with anyone. Probably because Sooyoung's snarky 'I told you so' was ringing in the back of her mind already. Of course, Yerim was too young to understand the weight of the situation so she still felt a bit silly.

Yerim gasped in horror causing Jinsoul to jump in her seat, a small squeak leaving her throat as she clutched her chest. Yeojin snickered quietly from her seat in the library as she munched on a boiled egg observing them. The teacher rolled her eyes turning her head to face Yerim who was looking at her with wide sad eyes.

"What?"

"What do you mean temporary?" Yerim pouted, it broke Jinsoul's heart a little. Yeojin got up from her seat, her hands stuffed in her pockets as she walked over to the two. She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand before giving Jinsoul a pointed look. (One that probably said something along the lines of, 'who's gonna tell her?'.) Jinsoul sighed, turning her whole body to face Yerim properly, she rested a comforting hand on the, now detached, girl's shoulder.

"Well Choerry, the teacher for this class went away to have a baby. I'm just filling in for her till she's better."

"And when will she be better!?" Yerim's frown deepened, her eyes beginning to glisten as she awaited her teacher's response. Jinsoul didn't really have one though, when she signed up for the job there wasn't really a clear outline of _when_ the teacher would be back. She hoped not soon since Jinsoul wasn't to eager to leave, especially with Yerim looking at her like that. 

"I don't know, Choerry," Jinsoul finally breathed out with a melancholy sigh. Yerim made a face Jinsoul had seen on Hyunjin before, it was a mix of determination, anger, and deep sadness. If the face meant the same thing on Yerim as it did on Hyunjin, well, Jinsoul sort of anticipated Yerim's next move.

"You're not leaving!" Yerim cried out, pouncing on top of Jinsoul's lap and reaching her whole body over to Jinsoul's laptop tapping away at the keys. Jinsoul grabbed onto the tiny girl's waist trying to pull her off but of course, the girl just _had_ to have the strength of a grizzly bear on steroids who was she kidding? Yerim really could do anything she put her mind to...

"Yerim -- YERIM, WHAT THE--"

"YOU'RE NOT LEAVING!! YEOJIN, DO THE THING!!!" Yeojin had been watching the two scuffle with each other the entire time with an amused smirk playing on her lips. She snapped out of her trance when Yerim called her, taking a pitiful glance at her teacher before walking behind the desk and attempting to hold the _very_ confused woman down. 

"KIDS, WHAT THE FLIPPING FLIP ARE YOU DOING!?!"

"SAVING YOU!"

"CURSE LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN YOU MOTHER TRUCKER!!"

"YEOJIN!! LANGUAGE!!!"

All movement stilled when the trio noticed another person had been at the doorway watching the whole thing go down with an adoring smile on her face.

"Sorry, did I interrupt you, kids? I just heard so much ruckus all the way from my classroom, I _had_ to find out what was going on." Haseul smirked, a teasing glint in her eye when Jinsoul matched her gaze sheepishly. A chorus of awkward 'no's and 'sorry's were exchanged before the two students separated themselves from their teacher.

"We'll be quieter next time, Ms. Jo," Yerim promised, looking at her feet guilt-ridden.

"Yeah, we'll practice attacking your girlfriend silently, Ms. Jo," Yeojin smirked evilly, as she always did. Haseul laughed shaking her head, especially when she saw how red her aforementioned girlfriend had gotten when Yeojin teased her. 

"Well, why don't you two kids go and enjoy recess with your friends. I need to have a chat with Ms. Jung alone." Haseul said, smiling at the two children. Yeojin made a face, pointing at her mouth and retching silently, while Yerim simply smiled back at the music teacher. Without another second to lose, Yerim grabbed Yeojin (who was still dramatically gagging) and pulled her out the door leaving the two adults alone.

"Hi..." Jinsoul finally let out when the two kids were out of sight.

Haseul giggled. "Hi," she said making her way over to Jinsoul's desk. "Now, what was that all about?"

"I think that was Yerim finding out what 'substitute teacher' means." Haseul hummed taking a seat on top of the desk, leaning on her hands for support as she stared at Jinsoul with a contemplative look. "Your sister, is she okay?" Jinsoul asked, concern in her tone.

"She says she's alright," Haseul sighed sounding skeptical. "I'll be checking up on her later after school." Jinsoul nodded, leaning her cheek in her palm. Haseul continued to observe her girlfriend, noticing the little quirk in her eyebrow and the small shy upturn of the corners of her lips as she stared back at her. Haseul was still learning how to decipher all of Jinsoul's many animated expressions. She wished she'd known Jinsoul for as long as Jungeun, then maybe she'd be able to tell what the older woman stored in her mind all the time.

"Can I ask you something?" Jinsoul hummed, her eyebrow lifting a little higher in curiosity. Haseul recognized that look. "What are you thinking about?"

"Right now?" Haseul nodded. "You," Jinsoul responded with a teasing smile. Haseul rolled her eyes looking at her feet with a bashful grin. She knew that look too. Jinsoul's flirty eyes, the quirk in her brow was back again, and her smile was lazy but wide nonetheless. Haseul had the "displeasure" of seeing it every moment they had together since the day they kissed in that small arcade a few blocks from Jinsoul's dingy apartment building. She wondered if Jungeun was familiar with that look too.

"Were you thinking about me when you tried to kiss her?" Haseul said softly but Jinsoul heard anyway. Her smile dropped and her eyebrows furrowed in concern. 

"What do you--"

"--I think we should talk," Haseul cleared her throat. "We didn't get too all that much last night." Jinsoul nodded, sitting up straight and giving Haseul her undivided attention. With a deep sigh, Haseul prepared herself, she'd done a lot of thinking since that night in her quaint living room and she couldn't keep it in any longer. It was far too much, and she wanted to believe a lot of her thoughts were just her overanalyzing, but it was hard to.

"I don't think I can trust you... Not like before at least." She breathed out, biting her lip to summon the courage to finally look at Jinsoul. When she did what she saw broke her heart a little. Jinsoul's eyebrows were still furrowed but now to the point where her scar looked a lot deeper than usual. Her mouth was slightly ajar and her eyes were completely void of its usual glint. She was hurt.

"Oh?"

"Jinsoul, I...I have strong feelings for you. I _do_ , but what you did--"

"--I understand..." Jinsoul smiled reassuringly, it was forced but Haseul tried to ignore it. "But what does that mean for us?"

Haseul hadn't thought of that. She didn't have enough time to. She'd never been the jealous type but she would be lying if she hadn't felt a bit insecure every now and again. If the obvious longing stares were anything to go off, Haseul had already known Jungeun had feelings for Jinsoul since the first day they met. She wasn't surprised to find out Jinsoul had tried to kiss her she just hoped it would never be the case because that would've meant Jungeun's feelings were reciprocated. She knew Jinsoul knew this that's why she'd been acting so strange the week before. Whether Haseul liked it or not, the two had unresolved emotions that they needed to figure out and call her selfish but she wasn't sure if she wanted Jinsoul to figure them out.

"I don't know."

'You don't know?"

"I don't, all I know is--" Haseul sighed again, trying to calm her nerves as she talked to her girlfriend honestly. "I'm sorry -- I just -- I talked to Jungeun. This morning, I talked to her, and I got upset. I got mad. I'm insecure, okay? I'll admit to that, and with yesterday... Jinsoul, I think you're amazing. I've never met anybody as funny, and sweet, and kind, and just -- but I can't just sit here and pretend like it doesn't bother me. Look, I know what I said yesterday, how I said it was _okay,_ but it's not. I might be selfish, but I don't even think I'm comfortable with you being around Jungeun." Haseul finished.

A beat of silence went by before Jinsoul finally opened her mouth to speak.

"Okay." She said placing a hand on Haseul's knee and giving it a comforting squeeze.

"What?"

"I'll stay away from her for a while. Until you think you can trust me again. I don't know, I'll take you out on more dates. I'll spend more time with you and Chaewon. _Anything_ to prove that you can trust me because I want _you_ , Jo Haseul." Jinsoul gave the music teacher a small smile. Haseul's breath hitched, her mouth left agape at Jinsoul's sincere words. Her gaze softened, a small amused huff leaving her nose as she smiled back softly at Jinsoul.

"Really?" Haseul asked shyly, biting her lip to prevent her from smiling too wide.

" _Really_. I mean it. You mean the world to me, Haseul, and I'd do anything for you." Jinsoul said seriously, finality in her tone. Haseul's heart skipped a beat, she took the hand on her knee in her own and squeezed it softly. Jinsoul laughed airily, bringing Haseul's hand up to her face to place a gentle kiss on it. They stood there staring at each other adoringly, Jinsoul pressing Haseul's palm against her cheek and her stroking it softly. 

"MS. JUNG!! YERIM CUT YEOJIN'S HAIR WITH SAFETY SCISSORS!!"

"IT WAS YOU CHAEWON!!!"

**. . .**

The kids had all gone away and Jinsoul was about ready to head home. She decided it'd be best if she filled out her applications for teaching programs at the school since her wifi at home could get a little spotty. She was going to Haseul's place to spend the night later in the day and wanted to surprise her with the news. She filled out the final boxes left of the online form and sent it in, closing her computer with a long relieved sigh. She looked around her classroom, it was clean and nothing was out of place thanks to Yerim giving her a helping hand at the end of the day. With an almost pained groan, she crossed her arms on the table and buried her face in them. Her eyes closed immediately, feeling the fatigue hit her like bricks. She hadn't gotten a decent amount of sleep in a while and it was putting a toll on her body, she wondered if she was allowed to take sick leave. Would there be a substitute to cover for the substitute? Is that how that works--

"Hello?" Someone called, knocking softly on the door frame of the classroom. Jinsoul's had snapped up, rubbing her eyes harshly to get rid of any remnants of sleep.

"I-- uh, yes! Who's there?" Jinsoul asked, scurrying out of her seat and brushing off her pants. For a second she thought the principal had caught her napping but instead, when she turned to face the door she was met with a very awkward-looking Kim Jungeun. The doctor cleared her throat, Jinsoul had to have been in the classroom for a long time since Jungeun's usual lab coat and pencil skirt was instead switched out for a hoodie and sweatpants.

"Sorry if I woke you. Yerim just left her gloves here..." Jungeun spoke, not a single emotion decipherable in her expression. Jinsoul nodded her head, motioning to the lost and found at the corner of the room.

She watched as Jungeun awkwardly drifted to the small box, sifting through the collections of lost toys and various articles of clothing. Jinsoul sighed looking around the room. She wanted to say something to Jungeun, maybe apologize for her behavior and be honest with her but the words got stuck in her throat. When Jungeun finally resurfaced from the pile of junk with a pair of bright purple gloves she stashed them in the hoodie of her pocket. Without another word, she headed for the door barely giving Jinsoul enough time to bid her goodbye.

"Jungeun!" Jinsoul finally spoke up, cursing under her breath when she realized how desperate she sounded. She turned around, an annoyed expression coming over her facial features.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I-I mean no! It's just... I wanted to apologize for how I acted. For everything, I'm-- I was just angry, like, really angry and I blew up on you. So, I'm sorry for it." Jinsoul tried to send her smile but it faltered when Jungeun's flat expression hadn't changed in the slightest. She didn't know if it was the draft but the room was starting to feel a little cold.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"What do you want me to say?" Jungeun rolled her eyes, crossing her arms across her chest. Jungeun was angry, _furious_ even, and when Jungeun was angry it was very hard to make it up to her. "Do you even remember what you said to me yesterday? What the hell is a simple ass apology gonna do?"

"Absolutely nothing, I know, and you can be mad at me as long as you want I deserve it. I was a dick--"

"--A big one."

"A ginormous one, yeah. I just thought you should hear my piece. I didn't mean a lot of things I said yesterday--"

"--When did you become such a huge liar?" Jungeun sneered. Jinsoul held in a gasp left speechless by Jungeun's harsh demeanor. The doctor clicked her tongue, turning on her heel to walk past the threshold of the classroom. With her back turned to Jinsoul she stopped and said one last thing before leaving.

"I don't think we should continue being friends anymore."

**. . .**

"Ha Sooyoung! Open this door immediately!" Jiwoo yelled, banging on the older woman's apartment door. Within moments, Sooyoung had swung the door open, a very puzzled look on her face when she saw a smiling Jiwoo in front of her holding a box of cake.

"Do you not work, woman!?" Sooyoung guffawed looking at her watch to check the time. The school had officially been out for less than 10 minutes meaning, Jiwoo abandoned a classroom of children just to come or there was an early closing and she might've been missing a meeting. Both answers were a lot more plausible than Sooyoung would've liked but instead of grilling her further, she pointed at the cake and rose her brow.

"For my birthday!"

"Your birthday isn't until a few weeks from now."

"I wanna celebrate early with you!" Jiwoo smiled brightly once again. Sooyoung blinked, blocking the shorter woman's path when she tried to push through her to get into the super model's apartment. Before Jiwoo could protest she paused, furrowing her eyebrows and leaning her face in to get a better look at Sooyoung. "Did you dye your hair?" Jiwoo questioned, a calculating grin on her face. Sooyoung in all her suddenly-short-hair glory scoffed, shyly shoving Jiwoo's shoulder.

"You're absolutely ridiculous."

"It looks good on you, I like it," Jiwoo winked, smiling at the blush spreading across Sooyoung's cheeks and reaching her ears. "Now, let me come in before all the icing melts off." She urged pushing through Sooyoung with all her black belt might (which was a lot actually).

"Jiwoo, I have a guest--"

"--Is there someone at the door, Yves?" A cute brunette woman called out from the corridor of the older woman's apartment. Jiwoo furrowed her eyebrows, turning her head to face Sooyoung and then back to the woman who was smiling brightly at her.

"Who's this?" Jiwoo pointed an accusatory finger at the woman but she only kept smiling, the quirk in her brow suggesting she was as puzzled as Jiwoo was.

"My name's Elly, who might you be?"

"Sooyoung's girlfriend--"

"EX! _Ex-_ girlfriend. This is Jiwoo...my _friend,_ Jiwoo, and she was just leaving so--"

"--Oh look, Yves! She bought a cake, it's perfect, the water's already finished boiling!" Elly smiled, enthusiastically clapping her hands and seizing the cake from Jiwoo's hands. Before she could say anything more Elly had already left for the kitchen, leaving an awkward Sooyoung and a perplexed Jiwoo by the door.

"Who was that?"

"Elly, as she said..." Sooyoung chuckled, scratching the back of her neck in discomfort. Jiwoo rose her brow at her (ex) girlfriend and scoffed smiling weakly, feeling her stomach start to ache. Sooyoung pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "It's not what you think it is."

"I wasn't even thinking anything..." Jiwoo lied, her gaze shifting everywhere but Sooyoung's eyes.

"Gimme a break, Jiwoo--"

"--What are you two still doing by the door! C'mon, before the tea get's cold!" Elly exclaimed from the kitchen, Jiwoo took it as her cue to leave the conversation. Before Sooyoung could stop her she was already making her way down the corridor and into the open kitchen. Elly was there whistling happily to herself, looking very at home as she poured tea into three small cups. The cake had already been cut into even slices and was sitting on Jiwoo's favorite peach-colored plate in the center of the dinner table. Elly turned around and happily motioned for Jiwoo to sit. Sooyoung had joined close behind her, and already begun to take her own seat like it was second nature and not at all strange. Jiwoo didn't find comfort in how _routine_ Elly and Sooyoung looked with one another, but instead of speaking up, she sat down across from Sooyoung.

"No sugar, like always, please," Sooyoung said, her gaze never straying from Jiwoo.

"And you, Jiwoo?" Elly asked sweetly, Jiwoo looked over to her tentatively.

"Two, please, thank you," she said softly, a small polite smile on her face.

Her phone chimed.

**1 New Message From Sooyoungie: We should talk about this...**

Jiwoo looked up from her phone to find Sooyoung looking at her expectantly.

**Jiwoo: what is there to talk about?**

**Sooyoungie: I met her at the salon last week**

**Jiwoo: okay?**

**Sooyoungie: We were friends in high school**

**Jiwoo: why is this relevant**

**Sooyoungie: Because I know you probably hate my guts right now, Jiwoo**

**Jiwoo: ...how many dates?**

**Sooyoungie: None, I swear.**

**Sooyoungie: Only...**

**Jiwoo: only what?**

**Sooyoungie: She asked me on a date today... sometime before you arrived...**

**Jiwoo: what did you say?**

**Sooyoungie: I said yes...**

Jiwoo clicked her tongue, looking up to make eye-contact with Sooyoung. She looked back at her guilty for a moment before looking down at her phone again and typing furiously.

**Sooyoungie: We're not together anymore, Jiwoo**

"Okay, tea's all done--"

"--I think I need to go actually." Jiwoo stood up abruptly, taking both Sooyoung and Elly by surprise.

"Jiwoo, _please_ \--"

"Sooyoung!! I've decided to rain on your parade today and show up unannounced!!!" A booming voice interrupted the trio, not a moment later an exhausted-looking Jinsoul had entered the kitchen with a surprised look on her face.

"Another ex?" Elly joked chuckling softly to herself.

"Actually, that's a funny story--"

"-- _No!_ This is my best friend, Jinsoul. No romantic affiliation." Sooyoung grumbled, rubbing her temples in an attempt to release her stress. "What the hell do you want, Jinsoul..."

"Well, I just wanted to ask for advice on how to get rid of fourteen-year-old repressed feelings for an angry doctor," Jinsoul smiled cheekily as if what she just unearthed wasn't the most plot-thickening piece of information ever. "But clearly, you have enough romantic struggles to deal with."

**. . .**

**Doyumm: so what do you guys talk about in here usually?**

**Doyumm: ...**

**Doyumm: this chat is dead**

**BBcream: Yoojung told me to tell you ur chicken strips are on fire**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! Long time no see. But fr I feel like this is like twilight now are you #TeamHaseul or #TeamJungeun? lol hope you had a good read. Till next time!
> 
> twt: heekkiesdyke  
> cc: kimlipdyke

**Author's Note:**

> ...idk..what to say...uhm I hope you liked it. P.S. It gets better...like just wait a bit..


End file.
